6 Ingredients to Avoid Eating

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The Dirty Dozen – The 12 Scariest Food Additives You’re Eating Right Now – Part 2

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In part 1 of this article, 6 scary food additives were discussed: azodicarbonamide, propylene glycol, saccharin, red #40, sodium nitrate and potassium bromate. Have you seen any of these listed as ingredients in some of the foods you are currently eating? Yes, shocking, but the good news is that knowing about these scary and toxic food substances means that you can NOW do something about them, right? YES, you can! “What can I do?”, you might wonder. Well…. for starters, you could get rid of these food additives from your diet or begin to eliminate foods that contain these additives. Thousands of substances, including man-made substances, are added to the foods and drinks we consume daily [1]. We NEED to be more aware of what these substances are, especially MAN-MADE SUBSTANCES.

So, we covered the first 6 scariest food additives in Part 1 of the article. Now, let’s get to the rest of the dirty dozen. Let’s discuss the next 6 scariest additives that you might be EATING right NOW. Do your best to also AVOID these other 6 food additives, including artificial coloring and artificial sweeteners:

7. Aspartame. This is another artificial sweetener that is linked to cancer and said to be an excitotoxin. It is known to bring on headaches or make people dizzy. You may also notice an onset of blurry vision. This could be intermittent, so it might initially go unnoticed. However, if you consume foods and drinks that contain aspartame and “suddenly” develop a headache afterwards, this could be as a result of this artificial sweetener. You should not develop headaches if you consume foods you are meant to naturally eat. If we act “against nature” by consuming substances that act “against nature”, is it possible that that very item or food additive could be acting “against nature”?

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8. Paraben. Do you like moldy foods and drinks? No? Well, me neither! Yes, this artificial additive has the purpose of keeping bad things away, including mold, bacteria, spoilage, etc. However, again I ask you, at WHAT COST to our health? Parabens actually stop mold from forming and thus, keeps foods looking and possibly tasting fresher longer. Yes, initially this may seem quite desirable. However, hold that thought and ponder just for a moment. Actually, the more I think about it, the more it SCARES me! Of course, there is a cancer-theme we see with most of these additives and yes, there have been linkages between parabens and the occurrence of breast cancer [2].

9. Carnauba Wax. Again, the name speaks for itself. It does not feel like something we should be CONSUMING, especially knowing the forms that wax can take. With a little heat and warmth, wax melts and flows or looks shiny and attractive. However, when cooled down, wax can become solid and potentially obstructive as well. IMAGINE this cool wax embedded in that shiny food product. It looks quite attractive when you see the food, right? Yes, but the problem begins when this wax sticks to your tummy and intestinal walls. There are also linkages between Carnauba wax and tumors or the occurrence of cancer as well. What are examples of products that use Carnauba wax as an ingredient? Chewing gum is a big culprit. The wax helps to solidify the coating on the gum and give it a nice shiny finish.

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10. Enriched Flour. This makes me cringe as well because it can be found EVERYWHERE. I mean, it looks like flour and feels like flour. However, it’s not naturally-occurring. No, it’s ENRICHED flour. Why does this flour need to be enriched? Sometimes, the answers are right in front of us but we don’t notice or stop to consider the facts. I have one word you need to constantly remind yourself of… PROCESSING. This activity occurs when food items are transformed from one state or form to another. When you see the words “enriched flour” on the label of any food product, you may think that this is GOOD for you, right? WRONG!! Enriched flour does not always mean that you are getting good stuff. Actually, during the processing of these types of “enriched” flours, most of the nutritional compositions of the grains from which these flours are processed have been washed away, leaving the residual flour completely or almost completely depleted of its natural nutritional base. What a terrible idea! With about 65% of American adults overweight [3], we can imagine what part flour played in this bleak picture.

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11. Sucralose. This is another artificial food sweetener, more commonly known as Splenda. It is often used to sweeten foods and drinks including pastries, other baked products, beverages, sodas, coffee, iced-tea and much more. Two things that many food manufacturers try to promote to consumers is convenience and reduced calorie count. So, marketing sucralose as a reduced calorie sugar alternative is generally quite attractive to consumers. However, there can be a price to pay when using or consuming artificial sweeteners like sucralose. As much as possible, do not consume overly processed food items and drinks because you get little to no nutritional rewards for doing so. As well, some of these sugar alternatives are used to process these items. So, you end up with calorie-dense food or drink items and foods or drinks high in additions such as sucralose. Basically, all the calories in this food item are from sugar and provide little to no nutritional value [4].

12. Caramel Coloring. This is a food coloring that can be found in foods and drinks that are in your KITCHEN right now!! It is a very popular food coloring with wide applicability, often used in breads and other baked goods. Also, you often see caramel coloring being used in drinks like sodas. If you think about that RICH, BROWNISH color that certain foods and drinks have, you are probably realizing that indeed these items may not have their natural or unprocessed colors. Food and drink marketers typically spend significant effort to make their foods and drinks look appealing. One method of doing this includes using attractive or “more pleasant” coloring. For example, if a drink looks deadly or pale brown and lacks any desirability, there is the increased likelihood that the drink will not do well in the marketplace. Food and drink marketers are able to turn the tables around by using this artificial coloring. Yes, lots of changes can occur before a food or drink item ends up in your home, kitchen or fridge!!

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To recap, let’s list the dirty dozen food additives, colorings and sweeteners that we have mentioned and discussed. These 12 scary and toxic food items are: azodicarbonamide, propylene glycol, saccharin, red #40, sodium nitrate, potassium bromate, aspartame, paraben, Camauba wax, enriched flour, sucralose and caramel coloring. The more informed you are about these very scary additions to your foods and drinks, the more conscious you’ll be about what you’re eating and drinking. Those seemingly insignificant quantities of food additives, artificial colorings and artificial sweeteners CAN ADD UP over time and eventually begin to manifest in dangerous ways.

You may have noticed the carcinogen and cancer related themes that kept creeping up with many of these substances. Some of the additives are certainly not hidden and can appear on the list of food or drink ingredients. Take the time to read food and drink labels carefully, especially the list of ingredients. This could help you filter out items that you should NOT be buying or consuming. You can also learn more about toxic foods and the dark side of nutrition labels [5]. The more processed the foods and drinks you are consuming are, the more likely that you’ll be consuming one of these terrible and scary food additives.

Want to learn more about healty foods then check out Slim & Heal In 7 Days

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Rick Kaselj, MS