The other day, I baked some rather tasty chicken thighs for dinner. As we ate, all was well--until my hubby took a bite close to the chicken bone, whereby he tasted something metallic and sharp in his mouth. He fiddled around and produced a staple. It was the same size and dimensions as a staple used to bind paper; it was unfolded and a bit crooked. We sat there stunned. How had a metal staple been imbedded so far into the flesh of a chicken? Now, I understand that meat packing plants are notorious for unsanitary conditions. I also understand when people find thumbs and mouse ears in their chicken nuggets. But nuggies are skin, fat, bones, and beaks, which are crushed and run through a sieve to be poured into a form that resembles a chickeny shape. They are not an actual part of the chicken like a thigh, breast or leg. So where did this staple come from?

From several months, I've been studying the phenomenon of corporate food production and how we Americans have been deceived into believing that the foods on the market shelves are healthy for us. I do know chickens are raised in appalling conditions--thousands of birds that live in a confined space where it is totally dark. They reach maturity in four months instead of six. The breast meat is the most popular part of the bird and they have been modified to grow enormous chicken boobs. Sometimes, their breasts are so big, they fall over from the weight and die where they land because they simply can't get up. It is no wonder there are outbreaks of salmonella and e. coli.

This thigh staple is just another example of how these huge food cartels have duped us, and for me, it's one more staple in the coffin lid when it comes to buying processed foods. I have been going organic and eating whole, clean foods. If we had a farmer's market in my neck of the woods, I would shop there. We don't, so I spend an inordinate amount of time in the grocery store studying labels. Are you confused about what some of these chemicals are that appear on the sides of food cans and boxes? You should be! They're right up there with chicken staples and the slow death of Americans from cancer, diabetes and obesity. I've listed a few just to make your life easier:

Sodium hexametaphosphate: This is a common food additive and can be found in everything from shrimp cocktail to toothpaste. It is considered a 'whitening' agent. It's used in detergents and commonly used in pottery shops to separate out the finest particles of clay.

Potassium Chloride: They make fertilizer from this stuff. It is also used as the third component in lethal injections. Jack Kevorkian used it in assisted suicide to stop the heart.

Hydrolyzed Protein: You'll find this in most processed foods. It's used to enhance flavor, but the chemical breakdown of proteins creates free glutamates that once joined with free sodium, becomes MSG or monosodium glutamate. When added to food this way, American law does not require manufacturers to list MSG as a label ingredient.

MSG: Hidden in packaging labels under such terms as hydrolyzed vegetable proteins, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed yeast, yeast extract, soy extracts, and protein isolate. Some people are intensely affected by MSG.

Aspartame: This is a synthetic artificial sweetener that has come under much scrutiny. It can be found in thousands and thousands of processed foods. In some markets, aspartame is manufactured by using a genetically modified variant of e. coli. The FDA claims it does not cause brain damage, but upon ingestion, aspartame unfolds into its natural residual components of aspartic acid, phenylalanine, methanol and formaldehyde. It is routinely hidden on food labels under the guise of 'natural flavorings'. Personally, I don't want formaldehyde in my body until AFTER the undertaker is done with me.

High Fructose Corn Syrup: Simply put, it will make you fat.

I know many folks will argue these facts are incomplete. They will contend the government claims they're safe. That's fine and good. I've heard all the arguments, too, and I'm not writing this to be flamed.

I just want you to know that for me, it's like finding a staple deep inside a chicken thigh--it shouldn't be there.