Stay Away From These Food Additives
Stay Away From These Food Additives for Healthy Living: (read the ingredients folks)
- Stay away from food with sodium nitrate, also called sodium nitrite. A preservative, coloring, and flavoring used with meat products, sodium nitrate is commonly added to bacon, ham, hot dogs, luncheon meats, smoked fish, and corned beef to stabilize the red color and add flavor. Sodium nitrate prevents growth of bacteria, but studies have linked eating it to various types of cancer. Also from a health standpoint these foods are high in sodium.
- Butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydrozyttoluene are additional additives to red flag. They are used to preserve common household foods. Both keep fats and oils from going rancid and are found in cereals, chewing gum, potato chips, and vegetable oils. These seem to stick around in the body and never leave, thus putting on the pounds.
- Propyl gallate is another preservative to avoid, used to prevent fats and oils from spoiling and is often used in conjunction with BHA and BHT. This additive is sometimes found in meat products, chicken soup base, and chewing gum.
- Monosodium glutamate is an amino acid used as a flavor enhancer in soups, salad dressings, chips, frozen entrees, and restaurant food. It is commonly associated with Asian foods and flavorings. MSG can cause headaches and nausea in some people, and animal studies link it to damaging nerve cells in the brains of infant mice.
- Hydrogenated vegetable oil, also called partially hydrogenated vegetable oil and commonly known as trans fat, makes it onto our dirty dozen list because eating too much of it leads to heart disease. "Trans fats are proven to cause heart disease, and make conditions perfect for stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, and limb loss due to vascular disease,"
- Aspartame, also known by the brand names Nutrasweet and Equal, is an additive found in so-called diet foods such as low-calorie desserts, gelatins, drink mixes, and soft drinks. It also comes in individual packages used in place of sugar as a sweetener. Aspartame is a combination of two amino acids and methanol that may cause cancer or neurological problems, such as dizziness or hallucinations. Studies conducted in the 1970s, and more recent studies from 2006 on, suggest that lifelong consumption may increase a person’s risk of cancer.
- Acesulfame-K is a relatively new artificial sweetener, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1998 for use in soft drinks. It is also found in baked goods, chewing gum, and gelatin desserts. Acesulfame-K—the "K" is the chemistry symbol for potassium—is considered 200 times sweeter than sugar. While Gerbstadt isn’t specifically concerned about this sweetener when used in moderation, there is a general concern that testing on this product has been scant.
- Food Colorings: Blue 1, 2; Red 3; Green 3; Yellow 6.You may think that all dangerous artificial food colorings were banned by the FDA long ago, but there are five still on the market that are linked with cancer in animal testing. "Always opt for the product without the color, if you have a choice," says Gerbstadt. "I’m not saying to avoid all coloring. Many are made from natural sources. But some specific dye colors do promote tumor formation, in the right combination and conditions." Blue 1 and 2, found in beverages, candy, baked goods and pet food are considered low risk but have been linked to cancer in mice. Red 3, used to dye cherries, fruit cocktail, candy, and baked goods, has been shown to cause thyroid tumors in rats. Green 3, added to candy and beverages, though rarely used, has been linked to bladder cancer. Studies have linked the widely used yellow 6—added to beverages, sausage, gelatin, baked goods, and candy—to tumors of the adrenal gland and kidney.
- Olestra, a synthetic fat known as the brand name Olean and found in some potato chip brands, prevents fat from getting absorbed in your digestive system. This often leads to severe diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and gas. "If you eat fat when taking Olestra, the fat is going to go right through you," says Gerbstadt. More significantly, though, Olestra inhibits healthy vitamin absorption from fat-soluble carotenoids that are found in fruits and vegetables and thought to reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. "It blocks fat absorption, but it also blocks vitamin absorption," says Gerbstadt.
- Potassium bromate is rare, but still legal in the U.S., and used as an additive to increase volume in white flour, breads, and rolls. Most bromate rapidly breaks down to an innocuous form, but it is known to cause cancer in animals—and even small amounts in bread can create a risk for humans. California requires a cancer warning on the product label if Potassium bromate is an ingredient.
- White Sugar Some foods, such as fruits and carrots, naturally contain sugar, but watch out for foods with added sugars, such as baked goods, cereals, crackers, even sauces and many other processed foods. Gerbstadt includes white sugar on the list of 12 because although it is non-toxic, large amounts are unsafe for our health and promote bad nutrition. "Simple sugars shouldn’t take up more than about 10 percent of the total calories you consume daily," says Gerbstadt. Yet most Americans already are eating way over that amount, consuming 20, 30, or 40 percent of their calories from simple sugars, she says. Too much sugar not only leads to problems with weight control, tooth decay and blood sugar levels in diabetics; it also replaces good nutrition.
- Sodium Chloride A dash of sodium chloride, more commonly known as salt, can certainly bring flavor to your meal. But salt is another hidden food additive that can lead to health issues. "Small amounts of salt are needed by the body and are beneficial in preserving food," says Gerbstadt. "Excessive amounts of salt can become dangerous for your health, affecting cardiovascular function, leading to high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure."
Last edited by healthy living : 06-04-2008 at 09:27 PM.
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