Some food additives are worse than others. Food Matters suggests these as the top ones to avoid:
Artificial Sweeteners Aspartame, also known as Nutrasweet and Equal, is believed to be carcinogenic and accounts for more reports of adverse reactions than all other foods and food additives combined. The sweetener Acesulfame-K has been linked to kidney tumors. All artificial sweeteners are bad news.
High Fructose Corn Syrup High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) increases your LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels and contributes to the development of diabetes.
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) Is used as a flavor enhancer. It is an excitotoxin, a substance that overexcites cells to the point of damage or death.
Trans Fat Numerous studies show that trans fat increases LDL cholesterol levels and increases your risk of heart attacks, heart disease and strokes.
Common Food Dyes Artificial colorings may contribute to behavioral problems in children and lead to a significant reduction in IQ.
Sodium Sulphite This is a preservative used in processed foods. People who are sulfite sensitive can experience headaches, breathing problems, and rashes. In severe cases, it may cause death.
Sodium Nitrate/Sodium Nitrite This common preservative has been linked to various types of cancer.
BHA and BHT Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydrozyttoluene (BHT) are preservatives that affect the neurological system of your brain, alter behavior and have the potential to cause cancer.
Sulphur Dioxide Sulphur additives are toxic and in the U.S., they have been prohibited in raw fruit and vegetables. Adverse reactions include bronchial problems, low blood pressure, and anaphylactic shock.
Potassium Bromate This additive is used to increase volume in some breads. It is known to cause cancer in animals, and even small amounts can create problems for humans.
If you've ever read the ingredients lists on packaged foods, you know that there's a lot more in food these days than in the past. Virtually every processed food now contains a long list of preservatives, colorings, flavorings, emulsifiers and more -- and unless you're shopping at a natural specialty store, gone are the days when a loaf of bread contained just a few ingredients. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) definition, a food additive is "any substance the intended use of which results or may reasonably be expected to result -- directly or indirectly -- in its becoming a component or otherwise affecting the characteristics of any food." There are currently more than 3,000 food additives added to foods in the United States; ideally, you should steer clear of all or most of these, but if you're just getting started the 10 listed above are an excellent starting point of additives to remove from your diet as soon as possible.
What are You Really Eating?
When you purchase a package of cheese, you expect it to contain milk and salt … bread you'd expect to contain flour, yeast, etc., and when you pick up a can of beans, you may think it only contains beans. In reality, cheese is commonly laced with preservatives and colorings. Bread contains high fructose corn syrup, preservatives and sometimes trans fats. And even canned beans typically contain additives including corn syrup, coloring and sweeteners, along with being packaged in a can that probably leaches BPA from its lining. If you're like most Americans who spend 90 percent of their food budget on processed foods, you're eating your share of these additives and then some … which is concerning when you begin to look into their potential effect on your health: Cancer, Hormone Disrupters, Behavior Problems and Lowered IQ.
Processed Foods Depend on Additives
When foods are processed not only are valuable nutrients lost and fibers removed, but the texture, natural variation and flavors are lost also. After processing, what's actually left behind is a bland, uninteresting "pseudo-food" that most people would find entirely unappetizing. Food manufacturers must add back in nutrients, flavor, color and texture to processed foods in order to make them palatable, and this is why they become loaded with food additives. Most commonly, additives are included to: slow spoilage, prevent fats and oils from becoming rancid, prevent cut fruits from turning brown, fortify or enrich the food with synthetic vitamins and minerals (which are lost during processing) and improve taste, texture and appearance
When reading product packages, some of the most common food additives to watch out for:
Sodium benzoate, sodium nitrite, potassium sorbate, BHA, BHT, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame potassium (acesulfame-K), etc.), FD&C Blue Nos. 1 and 2, FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red Nos. 3 and 40, FD&C Yellow Nos. 5 and 6, Orange B, Citrus Red No. 2, monosodium glutamate (MSG), hydrolyzed soy protein, autolyzed yeast extract.
The Simplest Way to Avoid Food Additives?
Ditch the processed foods. Swapping your processed food diet for one that focuses on real, whole foods may seem like a radical idea, but it's a necessity if you value your health. When you put the history of food into perspective, it's actually the processed foods that are "radical" and "new." People have thrived on vegetables, meats, eggs, fruits and other whole foods for centuries, while processed foods were only recently invented.
The frozen food business didn't begin until the mid-1920s when the General Seafoods Company began selling crudely frozen fish fillets, and fast food restaurants didn't get a foot hold until after World War II. TV dinners didn't even come around until the 1950s … before that it was a home-cooked meal or no meal at all. If you rely on processed inexpensive foods you will simply exchange convenience and short-term cash savings for long-term health miseries.
When it comes to staying healthy, avoiding processed foods and replacing them with fresh, whole foods is the "secret" you've been looking for.
If you have any questions about food additives, please ask us. We can let you know about allergy elimination, this treatment can help to reduce or eliminate food sensitivities along with other allergies such as animal and outdoor allergies.
Sources: Food Matters, mercola.com, 4/17/11
