What Everybody Ought 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.

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.

Dr. Christine H. Farlow, D.C. is a chiropractor, nutritionist and author. She has helped thousands improve their health through nutrition. For more information on food additives and healthy eating, visit http://www.healthyeatingadvisor.com. Contact Dr. Farlow at dr.cfarlow@healthyeatingadvisor.com.

---

Fluoride: A Plot to Dull the American Mind

During the Second World War, the Germans used fluoride as a tranquilizer in the Russian prison camps. At the same time, American members of the Communist Party... Read More

Ginger 4 Spleen - A Love Story!

For all I prefer to buy my fresh produce at a farm shop or farmers' market, I do appreciate the role that supermarkets have played in improving... Read More

Benefits of a Variety of Fruits and Vegetables

We know we need to eat a minimum of 5 servings of fruit and vegetables everyday. Actually now, to prevent cancer, 8 to 13 servings per day... Read More

Adding to Your Level of Health is the Key

Here is a continuation of the light and darkness metaphor: a bucket of water. The bucket represents you. The water represents your level of health. What happens... Read More

Fruit for Breakfast ? The Secret to a Healthy Life

Do you want more energy? How about more of the vitamins, minerals and enzymes that your body craves? Try eating fruit for breakfast! Fresh fruit ? apples,... Read More

Are Your Cells Talking To Each Other?

Are Your Cells Talking To Each Other?Communication! It permeates our lives. We communicate for many reasons such as: 1) to get what we want, 2) to get... Read More

Best Skin Diet For Healthy Skin

"You are what you eat."Does it sound familiar? You probably have heard of it. And yes, it is true. What you eat affects how well you are... Read More

Healthful Eating Habits

Healthy Eating Recently I found the book : "Eating and health according to the teaching work of The Master Peter Deunov" . I've never red something so... Read More

Finding the Elusive Complete-Protein Source

Images of "protein powder" containers with accomplished bodybuilders on their labels help inform consumers that protein is a critical macronutrient in strength training success. Yet what is... Read More

Cherries Taste Great and Build Health

You must add some fresh cherries, which are now in season, to your health routine this week.I don't know about you, but when my local supermarket runs... Read More

7 Things To Your Health

Health is the thing. And no matter how many ways you can measure and quantify symptoms and disease, the only way to be healthy is to add... Read More

Soy Phytoestrogens and the Art of Propaganda

In this newsletter we will discuss the current controversy about soy phytoestrogens. The established literature to date is replete with studies that find soy phytoestrogens beneficial to... Read More

Most of Us Talk and Think About Nutrition and Exercise as a Distant Activity to be Started Some Day!

If you do not take time to stand back at your nutrition and exercise habits then be ready with a big paycheck for those hospitals bills and... Read More

Free List of Fat Burning Foods

This free list of fat burning foods will help you make the right choices to burn off more fat than you ingest by eating them. The fat... Read More

Feeling Tired? No Pep & Zing? Tap Into Breakfast Smoothies!

I'm 40-something years old, and for 40-something years breakfast has been a pain. Some of my earliest memories are getting ready for school with my mother insisting... Read More

The Truth About Omega 3

Since Dr Basant Puri, a consultant psychiatrist and senior lecturer at London's Imperial College MRI unit, released his findings on Omega 3 and its effect on brain... Read More

Manganese 101

Manganese is a metallic mineral that was discovered by a 17th century German chemist named Johann Glauber, though it was not isolated in a pure form until... Read More

Fructose Short-Circuits Glycolysis

First some terminology.Fructose ... a five carbon sugar that occurs naturally in fruit, does not cause as much insulin to be secreted as glucose and tastes sweeter... Read More

Compulsive Eating Alternative: Learning to Eat With Pleasure

Do you allow pleasure from food? Are your senses throughly engaged as you eat? Do you fuel your aliveness with each meal or eat to deaden and... Read More

6 Power Foods For Your Heart

Heart disease remains the number one cause of death in the United States for both men and women. Traditionally, a low fat diet has been the prescription... Read More

The Hidden Price of Being Healthy

What I am also going to point out is the not-so-obvious cost of not being healthy. But, as you know, nothing in life is free. If there... Read More

Does your body know its ABCs??

What are Glyconutritionals?The Greek word "Glyco" means "Sugar". Most people think of sugar as being bad for you. However, there are actually TWO kinds of sugars. One... Read More

Why Digestive Enzymes Are Vital To Good Health!

Most digestive disorders develop because of the bodys inability to produce sufficient enzymes for health-enhancing digestion and proper nutrient absorption. Enzyme depletion results in improper digestion and... Read More

Death, Aging, Rejuvenation (Part 4)

Biological clockObviously you need biological clock to time and alarm the point when you need to die and when you need to age. Aging is the same... Read More

Nutrition as Attention Deficit Disorder ADHD Alternative Treatment: Help is as Close as the Kitchen

The quality of food we eat (or lack thereof) has a profound affect on Attention Deficit Disorder and ADHD. For many people, nutrition alone can effectively work... Read More

The Power of Capsulized Foods

For most people, the concept of capsulized food? usually conjures up images of space travelers ingesting meals condensed into a compact pill. However, in modern-day reality, things... Read More