--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you are faced with food that has…" description: "\"“When you are faced with food that has been sterilized, fumigated, hydrogenated, hydrolyzed, homogenized, colored, bleached, puffed, exploded, defatted..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/helen-nearing-63585_food_when-you-are-faced-with-food-that-has-be_89406.jpg" --- # When you are faced with food that has been sterilized… ![“When you are faced with food that has been sterilized, fumigated, hydrogenated, hydrolyzed, homogenized, colored, bleached, puffed, exploded, defatted, degermed, texturized, or if you don’t know what has been done to it, the safest rule is not to eat it.” quote by Helen Nearing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/helen-nearing-63585_food_when-you-are-faced-with-food-that-has-be_89406.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/helen-nearing-63585_food_when-you-are-faced-with-food-that-has-be_89406.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/helen-nearing-63585_food_when-you-are-faced-with-food-that-has-be_89406.jpg) > ““When you are faced with food that has been sterilized, fumigated, hydrogenated, hydrolyzed, homogenized, colored, bleached, puffed, exploded, defatted, degermed, texturized, or if you don’t know what has been done to it, the safest rule is not to eat it.”” [Helen Nearing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-nearing/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When food processing is opaque, the safest choice is to avoid consumption, emphasizing caution over uncertainty. **In simple terms:** Avoid unknown food processes. Key Takeaway Uncertainty calls for caution. Themes food safety risk aversion health consumer awareness precaution Mood pragmatic cautious Type warning advice When to use this quote - grocery shopping - dining out - meal planning Key Concepts processing ingredients safety Practical Applications - dietary choices - public health guidance Questions to Reflect On - What criteria would you use to trust a food product? - How does transparency affect your eating habits? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) ## Related quotes > [“She heard a crash from the galley as soon as she pulled it open. Peering down the hallway, she saw Wolf hunkered over a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/she-heard-a-crash-from-the-galley-as-soon-as-she-pulled-it-open/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) > [The safest rule of conduct is to claim kinship when we want to do service and not to insist on kinship when we want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-safest-rule-of-conduct-is-to-claim-kinship-when-we-want-to-do/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Be sure the safest rule is that we should not dare to live in any scene in which we dare not die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/be-sure-the-safest-rule-is-that-we-should-not-dare-to-live-in-any-2/) [Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/) > [Be sure the safest rule is that we should not dare to live in any scene in which we dare not die. But, once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/be-sure-the-safest-rule-is-that-we-should-not-dare-to-live-in-any/) [Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/) > [“But it seems she’d wanted children after all, because when she was told she’d been accidentally sterilized she could feel all the light leaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/but-it-seems-she-d-wanted-children-after-all-because-when-she-was/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [The moment the cultivators of the soil realize their power, the evil of Zamindari will be sterilized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-moment-the-cultivators-of-the-soil-realize-their-power-the-evil/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Any man who, having a child or children he can't support, proceeds to have another should be sterilized at once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/any-man-who-having-a-child-or-children-he-can-t-support-proceeds-to/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [“People say they want to die in their own home. But me, I was ready for the hospital. The sterilized sheets, the machines, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-brockmeier/people-say-they-want-to-die-in-their-own-home-but-me-i-was-ready-for/) [Kevin Brockmeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-brockmeier/) > [Anyone who sees and paints a sky green and fields blue ought to be sterilized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/anyone-who-sees-and-paints-a-sky-green-and-fields-blue-ought-to-be-2/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [“Anyone who sees and paints a sky green and fields blue ought to be sterilized. -- unsourced , suspected false quotation”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/anyone-who-sees-and-paints-a-sky-green-and-fields-blue-ought-to-be/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [People come to New York City because they want something different... now, people are just getting the sterilized version of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anasi/people-come-to-new-york-city-because-they-want-something-different/) Robert Anasi > [“In the bathroom two water tumblers were sealed in cellophane sacks with the words: "These glasses are sterilized for your protection." Across the toilet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/in-the-bathroom-two-water-tumblers-were-sealed-in-cellophane-sacks/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [By eating many fruits and vegetables in place of fast food and junk food, people could avoid obesity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-murdock/by-eating-many-fruits-and-vegetables-in-place-of-fast-food-and-junk/) [David H. Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-murdock/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [On Sundays, that's my pig out day and I do the pizza and the beer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-silvstedt/on-sundays-that-s-my-pig-out-day-and-i-do-the-pizza-and-the-beer/) [Victoria Silvstedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-silvstedt/) ## More by Helen Nearing > [“There are several ways to perform almost any act - an efficient, workable, artistic way and a careless, indifferent, sloppy way. Care and artistry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-nearing/there-are-several-ways-to-perform-almost-any-act-an-efficient/) [Helen Nearing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-nearing/) > [“The business of procuring the necessities of life has been shifted from the wood lot, the garden, the kitchen and the family to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-nearing/the-business-of-procuring-the-necessities-of-life-has-been-shifted/) [Helen Nearing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-nearing/) > [“The value of doing something does not lie in the ease or difficulty, the probability or improbability of its achievement, but in the vision,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-nearing/the-value-of-doing-something-does-not-lie-in-the-ease-or-difficulty/) [Helen Nearing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-nearing/) > [“The store customer, who comes home with a package under his arm has learned nothing, except that a ten dollar bill is a source…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-nearing/the-store-customer-who-comes-home-with-a-package-under-his-arm-has/) [Helen Nearing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-nearing/) [Explore all 5 Helen Nearing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-nearing/) ## More Food quotes > [On Sundays, that's my pig out day and I do the pizza and the beer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-silvstedt/on-sundays-that-s-my-pig-out-day-and-i-do-the-pizza-and-the-beer/) [Victoria Silvstedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-silvstedt/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [By eating many fruits and vegetables in place of fast food and junk food, people could avoid obesity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-murdock/by-eating-many-fruits-and-vegetables-in-place-of-fast-food-and-junk/) [David H. Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-murdock/) > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“My God, Joseph, your toasted sandwiches are the fucking shit. You do know that right?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ashworth/my-god-joseph-your-toasted-sandwiches-are-the-fucking-shit-you-do/) [Beth Ashworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ashworth/) > [I feel like I could eat the world raw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/i-feel-like-i-could-eat-the-world-raw/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [To me, Caribbean food is about fresh, seasonal produce - using what's in season to create vibrant and great tasting food. The spicing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ainsley-harriott/to-me-caribbean-food-is-about-fresh-seasonal-produce-using-what-s-in/) [Ainsley Harriott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ainsley-harriott/) > [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [“if you cannot control your hunger and appetite, good luck managing your blood chemistry, metabolism, waistline, and, in the bigger picture, the prospect of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-perlmutter/if-you-cannot-control-your-hunger-and-appetite-good-luck-managing/) [David Perlmutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-perlmutter/) > [“Hungarian Proverb: A dish of cabbages can be heated when it grows cold, but it will never taste the same.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mourid-barghouti/hungarian-proverb-a-dish-of-cabbages-can-be-heated-when-it-grows-cold/) [Mourid Barghouti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mourid-barghouti/) > [“The phrase “low and slow” was coined to describe the relatively low temperatures used for smoking and the lengthy amount of time it takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-reader/the-phrase-low-and-slow-was-coined-to-describe-the-relatively-low/) Ted Reader > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [“Live is like a box of chocolates, we are all just waiting for a hungry hand to come down and grab us and eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunshine/live-is-like-a-box-of-chocolates-we-are-all-just-waiting-for-a-hungry/) [sunshine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunshine/) > [Sometimes, when full and in fear that I will continue to eat unwanted food just because it's staring at me, I will place my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-nichols/sometimes-when-full-and-in-fear-that-i-will-continue-to-eat-unwanted/) [Rachel Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-nichols/) > [“Pumpkin Flavor Latte Scrub   Ingredients 1 ½ cups of brown sugar 2 tablespoons of ground coffee 1-2 tablespoons of pumpkin spice ¾ -1…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-hilton/pumpkin-flavor-latte-scrub-ingredients-1-cups-of-brown-sugar-2/) Kate Hilton [Browse all 34,183 Food quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When you are faced with food that has been sterilized, fumigated, hydrogenated, hydrolyzed, homogenized, colored, bleached, puffed, exploded, defatted, degermed, texturized, or if you don’t know what has been done to it, the safest rule is not to eat it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Helen Nearing" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-nearing/when-you-are-faced-with-food-that-has-been-sterilized-fumigated/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Food" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-nearing/when-you-are-faced-with-food-that-has-been-sterilized-fumigated/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/helen-nearing-63585_food_when-you-are-faced-with-food-that-has-be_89406.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/helen-nearing-63585_food_when-you-are-faced-with-food-that-has-be_89406.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/helen-nearing-63585_food_when-you-are-faced-with-food-that-has-be_89406.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you are faced with food that has been sterilized, fumigated, hydrogenated, hydrolyzed, homogenized…” — Helen Nearing", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Helen Nearing", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-nearing/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“When you are faced with food...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-nearing/when-you-are-faced-with-food-that-has-been-sterilized-fumigated/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-nearing/when-you-are-faced-with-food-that-has-been-sterilized-fumigated/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```