By Rodi Alexander Friedman, C.H.C.
It is absolutely amazing the amount of chemicals and preservatives that have been added to our foods these past 4 decades. We are cursed with thousands of chemicals, not only in foods, but drinks, cosmetics, creams, soaps, moisturizers, household products, and the list goes on. It would be impossible to list them all. You can’t trust that what you are buying is harmless. You must be educated and made aware of the dangers of these additives. To become an educated consumer about nutrition and health, you must learn to discern the difference between scientific research and advertising. It is time to get acquainted with as many of these “ill causing chemicals” as possible, so that we will make better choices for ourselves, our families, and friends. This article will focus on the Food Factor.
It would be beneficial to purchase products that contain recognizable ingredients like…….FOOD! Provide your body with the most densely nutritious foods available; raw, natural plant food – fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, greens and beans.
Processed Foods, however, contain many negative ingredients. These foods DO NOT help the body build healthy cells, tissues and organs. There are 3,000 additives used in food today, and they are used to prevent spoilage, make foods tastier, more attractive, keep food safe over a long period of time, maintain consistency, and/or enhance the nutritional value of food. Additives have been used for centuries, and not all are harmful – herbs and spices have been used to enhance flavor, vinegars to pickle vegetables, and salt has been used to preserve meat and fish.
Here are some of the of the many ingredients that can be harmful to your health;
Sodium Nitrate is a carcinogenic chemical added to processed meats, hot dogs, bacon, and any other meat that needs a reddish color to look fresh. The nitrates themselves are not the problem. During the digestive process, sodium nitrate is converted to nitrosamine. Nitrosamine is a carcinogen, but since it is not technically an ingredient, its presence can be easily over looked on the packaging. Nitrosamines are also found in food items that are pickled, fried or smoked, beer, cheese, fish by products and tobacco smoke. You have to be vigilant and READ LABELS!!!
Monosodium Glutamate, (MSG), is an exitotoxin. It makes you fat, causes all kinds of medical problems such as brain lesions, as well as Neuro Endocrine disorders which have been shown in animal studies. There is growing evidence that MSG can promote cancer growth, play a role in degenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, ALS, Huntington’s disease and other disorders of the nervous system. MSG is found in soups, dressings, sauces, fast foods, most gefilte fish, canned goods, salted peanuts, etc…MSG is hidden in the ingredient, Yeast Extract………..WATCH OUT!! Read Labels!!!
Sodium Benzoate is most often found in soft drinks, but can also be found in many other foods for preservation, like condiments and pickles. It is also used as an anti-icing fluid in automobiles, and has been found to become carcinogenic when mixed with the additive vitamin C.
Hydrogenated and Partially Hydrogenated Oils are found in French- fries, donuts, (one of the worst breakfast foods one could put in their body), all other deep fried foods, cookies, crackers, and almost every commercial chip, unless it says “baked”. These oils are developed from otherwise harmless, natural elements. To make them hydrogenated, oils are heated in the presence of hydrogen and metal catalysts. This process helps to prolong shelf life, but simultaneously creates Trans fats, which only have to be disclosed on the label if the food contains more than 0.5 grams per serving. To avoid listing trans fats or claim “trans fat free” on their label, food manufacturers simply adjust the serving size until the trans fat free content falls under 0.5 grams per serving. Trans fats are formed during the frying process. Besides being a cancer factor, trans- fats promote heart disease, interrupt the metabolic process, and cause belly fat that crowd the organs and strain the heart. It’s no wonder that 64% of Americans are obese!
High Fructose Corn Syrup is NOT a natural sugar. HFCS is a processed, liquid sweetener used in disturbingly large amounts throughout the global food supply. You can find it in sodas, candy, dressings, sauces, breads, most commercial breakfast cereals, food bars, ketchup, peanut butter and thousands of other products. HFCS is sweet and cheap. It is for these same two reasons that it is fed to honey bees, but it is believed that this food source may be poisoning the bees. Researchers from the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Tucson, AZ., joined with researchers in New Orleans and the University of Wisconsin, to study the effects of High Fructose Corn Syrup. Their findings showed that when HFCS is heated, it forms hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), a chemical that can kill honey bees. HMF has been linked to DNA damage in humans. When HMF breaks down in the human body, it breaks down into substances that maybe even more harmful than HMF itself (similar to the way in which Aspartame breaks down into formaldehyde, formic acid and other potentially harmful chemicals).
Artificial Sweeteners. There have been many attempts to remove artificial sweeteners from the market because of numerous health concerns, including cancer.Aspartame, found in diet soft drinks and most sugar free foods, has been studied repeatedly, and is said to cause cancer, birth defects, obesity, blindness, seizures, headaches, kidney damage and other dangerous health conditions. The food industry is constantly developing new artificial sweeteners. A recent example is Sucralose, an artificial sweetener that appears in foods under the name “Splenda”. The manufacturers of Sucralose promote it by informing consumers that their product is made from sugar. This is true, BUT, what they don’t disclose, is that it is made by chlorinating the sugar. The company starts with a natural food and then adulterates it! The FDA approved sucralose with very little in the way of evidence of safety. One study showed that the use of sucralose worsened diabetic conditions, which is interesting, in view of the fact that these artificial sweeteners are marketed to diabetics as a substitute for sugar. My father-in-law, who was a diabetic, died of kidney damage. Everything he consumed was sugar-free, and laced with artificial sweeteners; NutraSweet, Aspartame and Sucralose. My advice, “avoid them like the plague”!!
Artificial Flavors and Colors such as Red #40, Yellow #5, Yellow #6 and Blue #1 are found in most candy, commercial chips, frostings, sauces, colored foods, sport drinks and juices and desserts. Studies have linked them to everything from food allergies to cancer, and is said to cause hyperactivity. It’s no wonder our children have far more health problems today than ever before. Let me just say that it is never too late to teach them to make better choices.
Sulfites such as Sulfur Dioxide, Sodium Sulfite, Sodium & Potassium Bisulfite and Sodium & Potassium Metabisulfite are additives to which many people have allergic reactions. They are most commonly used in processed potatoes, dried fruit, wine, and processed or fresh – frozen seafood products. They are particularly dangerous for asthmatics. Watch out!! Read Labels!!!
The next 5 horrendous ingredients are just a few of the dozens that are found in junk snacks such as Twinkies, Yodels, Devil Dogs, Ring Dings, Donettes,, Coffee Cakes, Ice Cream Cakes, and many other processed foods that we are consuming and feeding to our children. The taste is NOT worth the consequences. We need to make the distinction between “food” and “treats”.
Glucose– syrup in the cake filling adds bulk and sweetness, and helps in browning, but mainly keeps the cake moist. Glucose also adds gloss and pliability to shoe leather, prolongs the setting of concrete, and keeps hand lotion moist for years.
Cellulose Gum– This cooked goop from cotton lends slipperiness to the filling – as it also does to rocket fuel! It is also found in Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa, Starbucks low fat latte, denture adhesives and ceramic glaze.
Phosphorus – Hard to believe the baking powder that makes Twinkies so light is partially made from the element that puts the glow in tracer bullets, and the bang in artillery shells.
Polysorbate 60 & 80 replicates thick cream and egg yolks, but it lasts much longer. The emulsifier is made using explosive ethylene oxide. They are using an explosive ingredient to make food. Doesn’t that just “Blow Your Mind”!!
Calcium Sulfate – if you extract more water from this ingredient, it becomes plaster.
These are just some of the negative ingredients to familiarize yourself with. We have control over what goes into our bodies and learning to read labels can help us stay healthier, by maintaining our weight, avoiding many degenerative diseases, giving us more energy, and helping us to live longer. Feed your body the right fuel to keep it running properly.
Oh, and by the way, Be Vigilant – Read Labels!!