Is Your Food Safe? - What You Need to Know About 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.
Poisons in Your Food
Many additives in the food you eat may be very dangerous to your health. But you'd never know it if you believed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Take, for example, Olestra, also known as Olean. Over the objections of many leading food scientists, this fat substitute was approved and claimed safe by the FDA. However, Olestra causes diarrhea and abdominal cramping. And there is evidence that it can contribute to cancer, heart disease and blindness. Luckily for consumers, all products which contain Olestra must have a warning on the label.
That's not the case for the artificial sweetener Aspartame, also known as Nutrasweet. 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. Aspartame was approved and claimed safe by a specially appointed FDA Commissioner after his own Board of Inquiry that investigated aspartame claimed it unsafe. This FDA Commissioner later left the FDA to work for the drug company that produces aspartame.
Then there's monosodium glutamate (MSG) and free glutamate, flavor enhancers which have been approved by the FDA. MSG may cause a variety of symptoms, including headaches, itching, high blood pressure and allergic reactions. Free glutamate, the active ingredient in MSG, may cause dizziness, shortness of breath, headaches, drowsiness and even brain damage, especially in children. Because of bad publicity, food manufacturers found ways to hide MSG in foods they produce. They list the ingredients that contain MSG but not the MSG itself. Or they use free glutamates instead of MSG. For example, broth may be listed as an ingredient on a label. Broth may contain MSG, but the ingredients in the broth are not required to be listed on the label. Hydrolyzed soy protein, a common ingredient in tuna, is high in free glutamates, but does not contain MSG. The label can legally say no MSG.
Even if the label says "all natural ingredients" and "no preservatives," the product could contain harmful additives. Almost all packaged foods, even so called "health foods", have additives in them, and many are harmful or inadequately tested. The manufacturer hopes you'll think these are healthy natural products, but if you read the list of ingredients, you'll find ingredients that are not common food items. If you learn to interpret food labels, you'll find that many of these ingredients are harmful or of questionable safety.
Many additives in the food you feed your kids may be very dangerous to their health. But you'd never know it if you believed the claims of healthy ingredients on the packaging.
Take, for example, breakfast cereals. They are laden with sugar, hydrogenated oils and artificial food colorings. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, fatigue, depression, tooth decay, B-vitamin deficiency and indigestion. Hydrogenated oils are associated with heart disease, cancer and elevated cholesterol. These diseases, associated with old age, actually can start in childhood when kids eat hydrogenated oils and other foods that contribute to these diseases. Artificial food colorings are some of the worst additives found in foods and are most abundantly found in foods made to appeal to kids, like cereals, candy, gelatin desserts, fruit drinks and soft drinks. The worst are Blue No. 1, Blue No. 2, Citrus Red No. 2, Green No. 3, Red No. 3 and Yellow No. 6. Some of these colors are carcinogenic, cause tumors in lab animals and are not adequately tested.
If your child has asthma, eating raisins, dried apricots or some other dried fruit that contains sulfites may cause his/her attacks. Sulfites were banned in 1985 on most fruits and vegetables, but are still allowed on fresh-cut potatoes, dried fruits and wine. They can cause severe allergic reactions and have even caused death in asthmatics.
My Success
In conclusion, one of the best benefits of the Reverse Diet plan was for me was that I completely detoxed my body of many of these impurities and lost 172 pounds. My daily sodium intake prior to the Reverse Diet was between 5,000 and 10,000 milligrams. I ate foods containing MSG like they were part of the food pyramid. Now my body will not allow me to crave these foods. I was always tired, bogged down, had head aches, muscle cramps, and a general feeling of ill health. Not anymore, thanks to my new lease on life after finding success with my program. My whole life has changed for the better. Here are a few of the benefits:
• Natural energy- most people would think I drank 18 cups of coffee- something I haven’t had in 17 years
• No head aches- other than being a mom of two beautiful teenage girls
• I have added years to my life
• Breathing is much easier
• Have set new goals
• Do not focus on weight loss rather continuing healthy eating habits
• Educated my whole family on healthier habits extending their lives
• Feel better about myself
___________________
Tricia Cunningham
Author of "The Reverse Diet"
"No Excuses, Only Solutions"
Speak directly with Tricia on the FitBuff.com Forums!
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