There are literally thousands of chemicals known as "food
additives" that are intentionally added to our foods and
some of these have been linked to cancer and other
diseases. So the question is, what is the relationship
between food additives and health and harmful potential
consequences?
In 1958 the government passed the Delaney Clause Food
Additives Amendment which prohibited companies from adding
known harmful chemicals to our food. But in spite of this,
there are still dangerous chemicals that are still being
added to our food and it is important to understand which
chemicals these are and what the potential dangers are.
The only defense we have as consumers is that all packaged
food is required to list all the ingredients on the label.
It is for us to educate ourselves on the dangerous food
additives and scrutinize the labels of the food we buy. The
challenge however, is that food companies tend to make
finding these suspicious ingredients somewhat tedious,
hiding them in hard-to-find areas of the package and making
the print extremely small so as to discourage their
discovery.
The names of these chemicals themselves can complicate
matters. They tend to be extraordinary long and
hard-to-remember and most people just ignore them rather
than investigating them further. Food companies are also
notorious for masking their products with health-related
rhetoric that leads people into believing that the product
is free of "bad stuff". For instance, "Natural Flavors" or
"No Preservatives" are commonly found on packaged food
products, but does this mean that the product is free of
harmful food additives? Absolutely not. Again, you must
check all the ingredients to determine whether a product is
completely free of food additives.
Here is a helpful tip that relies on basic common sense. If
you are reading the ingredient list and you find it is long
and loaded with long words that you are unfamiliar with,
guess what? This product almost assuredly has plenty of
chemical food additives.
Here is a list of twelve food additives that you should
definitely try and avoid. This is not an exhaustive list,
however, these food additives have been linked to health
concerns and harmful side effects.
Sodium Nitrate or Sodium Nitrite
Found primarily in lunch meat and hotdogs, this is a
preservative and color and flavor enhancer and has been
linked to cancer.
BHA and BHT
Butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydrozyttoluene are
used as a preservative. You can find them in things like
chips, cereals and even chewing gum. They have been linked
to cell oxidation which in turn is linked to cancer.
Propyl Gallate
Also a preservative. There has been evidence that this can
be linked to cancer.
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
MSG is one of the more well-known food additives and is
primarily used as a flavor-enhancer. Much of the restaurant
food we consume is flavored with MSG. This food additive
can cause reactions in some people such as headaches and
nausea.
Trans Fats
Trans-fats are proven to cause heart disease. Restaurant
food, especially fast food chains, often serves foods laden
with trans-fats.
Aspartame
Aspartame is a sweetener and is also known as NutraSweet.
The brand of sweetener called Equal is also aspartame.
This food additive has been linked to cancer and
neurological problems.
Acesulfame-K
A new sweetener used in baked goods and candy, Acesulfame-K
has had limited testing and there has been some evidence
that it may cause cancer in lab rats.
Food Colorings: Blue 1, 2; Red 3; Green 3; Yellow 6
Food colorings are basically just a form of paint. They can
liven up the walls in your living room but should
definitely be avoided in food. Blue 1 and 2, found in
beverages, candy, baked goods and pet food, have been
linked to cancer in lab animals. Red 3, has been shown to
cause thyroid tumors in rats. Green 3 has been linked to
bladder cancer. Yellow 6 has been linked to tumors of the
adrenal gland and kidney.
Olestra
Olestra is a chemical fat that is used in chips and can
have a wide array of side effects. Additionally, Olestra
can impede the absorption of vitamins from fruits and
veggies.
Potassium Bromate
This food additive is found in many breads and products
that use flour. It has been linked to cancer in animals.
White Sugar
White sugar is white because of bleach. Eating foods that
add a lot of white sugar is very bad for you.
Sodium Chloride
AKA... salt. Most of the commercial foods we eat are loaded
with Sodium Chloride. This additive has been proven to
cause heart disease.
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Joe Costello founded Kylea Health in 1995. Kylea is a
well-respected nutritional company providing cutting edge
nutritional formulas servicing hundreds of thousands of
people. Joe is a health researcher, author, and hosts a
weekly health Television show. For more information about
Joe Costello and Kylea Health and Energy visit
http://www.kylea.com
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