Foods - Food
Additives
Every day we are bombarded with information about food products that
are healthy, all natural, have no artificial ingredients, no
preservatives, low fat, no fat, no cholesterol, sugar free, vitamin
fortified and provide 100% of your daily vitamin requirements. Are these
foods as healthy as the advertising tries to make us believe they are?
Let's look at the facts. There are more than 3000 different chemicals
added to our food. The company that wants to produce the chemicals or
use the chemicals in the foods they produce usually does the testing for
safety. Safety testing has only been done for individual additives, not
for combinations of additives. Nobody knows the effects of the many
different additives used in the thousands of different combinations. To
make matters worse, because of political pressure, the FDA allows
manufacturers to add small amounts of cancer-causing substances to our
food. So, not only are many of our foods not healthy, they're unsafe.
The FDA has even approved, as safe, additives it has known to be
unsafe. Take, for example, Olestra, the fat substitute which was
approved by the FDA over the objections of many leading food scientists.
Olestra can cause diarrhea, abdominal cramping and may even contribute
to cancer, heart disease and blindness. Foods containing Olestra must
have a warning label on the package.
Then there's the artificial sweetener aspartame, also known as
Nutrasweet. Aspartame was approved and claimed safe by a specially
appointed FDA Commissioner after his own Board of Inquiry that
investigated aspartame claimed it unsafe. Aspartame can cause birth
defects, central nervous system disturbances, menstrual difficulties,
brain damage in phenylketonurics, seizures, death and a long list of
other reactions too numerous to mention. It may cause irreversible
health damage over the long term.
Fats are another story. A certain amount of the right kind of fat is
necessary for your nervous system, your immune system, the formation of
cell membranes, and the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins. The
problem is that over 90% of the food produced today contain hydrogenated
or partially hydrogenated oil, which contributes to heart disease,
elevated cholesterol and triglycerides, non-insulin dependent diabetes
and cancer. Research even shows an association between attention deficit
disorder and hydrogenated oils.
The next time you grocery shop, look at the label of every item
before you buy. Unless you already buy all organic and natural foods,
almost every item you pick up will contain hydrogenated or partially
hydrogenated oils. Instead, choose products that say no hydrogenated
oils. Use raw organic butter instead of margarine, and extra virgin
olive oil, coconut oil or flaxseed oil (flaxseed oil should never be
heated).
If you're eating more chicken, turkey and fish, because it's
healthier, you may be surprised to learn that sliced chicken and turkey
from the deli contains nitrites. And nitrites cause cancer. Nitrites are
found in almost all processed meats, including luncheon meats, hot dogs,
sausages and bacon. Then there's tuna, a healthy choice if it only
contains tuna and water and is only eaten occasionally. But, most tuna
contains broth or hydrolyzed vegetable protein, which contain MSG. And
MSG is not required to be listed on the label because it is an
ingredient in the broth, not directly added to the tuna. This is the way
food manufacturers hide MSG in the food they produce. And hidden MSG can
be a very serious problem to those who are sensitive to it. MSG can
cause a wide variety of symptoms including migraines, numbness and
tingling, asthma, seizures, diarrhea, panic attacks and heart problems.
Other sources of hidden MSG include autolyzed yeast, boullion, stock,
malt extract, malt flavoring, barley malt, maltodextrin, natural
flavors, pectin, seasonings, carrageenan, soy sauce, soy protein, whey
protein, anything enzyme modified, fermented, protein fortified, or
ultrapasteurized, fast foods, chips, condiments, salad dressings, lunch
meats, sausages and soups. In fact, most processed foods contain MSG
according to Kathleen Schwartz of the nonprofit group NoMSG.
So, buyer beware! Even if the label says "all natural ingredients"
and "no preservatives," the product could contain harmful additives. So,
how do you know which foods are really safe to eat? You need to read the
labels and know how to interpret the information on the label.
Here's a few hints on what to eat and what to avoid: Eat fresh fruits
and vegetables, whole grains, good quality protein and healthy fats.
Avoid these additives:
Aspartame or Nutrasweet
Saccharin
MSG and Free Glutamates
Artificial colorings
Nitrites and Nitrates
Caffeine
BHA and BHT
Brominated vegetable oil or BVO
Olestra or Olean
Sulfites
Here's a general rule of thumb: If the list of ingredients is long,
there are probably a lot of chemical additives in the product, and
you're risking your health by eating it. If the list of ingredients is
short, it may or may not have harmful additives in it, so you need to
read the label carefully before you purchase it.
Dr. Christine Farlow has made it easy for you to identify which
additives are harmful and which are not. In her handy pocket-sized book,
FOOD ADDITIVES: A Shopper's Guide To What's Safe & What's Not, now in
its 2004 revised edition, she classifies 800 commonly used food
additives according to safety, whether they may cause allergic reactions
and if they are Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) by the FDA. In just
seconds, you can find out if an additive in the food you're buying is
harmful to your health. It's clear, concise and easy to use. Make this
book your constant grocery shopping companion and you'll never again
wonder about the safety of the ingredients listed on the package. You'll
know.
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