What to look for in Food Ingredient Lists
Jun. 24th, 2008 08:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
liveonearthWhat familiar food is this???
Enriched Flour, Wheat Flour, Niacinamide , Reduced Iron , Thiamin Mononitrate - Vitamin B1 , Riboflavin - Vitamin B2 , Folic Acid , Corn Syrup , High Fructose Corn Syrup , Dextrose , Vegetable Oil , Soybean Oil , Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil - with TBHQ and Citric Acid for Freshness - Less than 0.5 g Trans Fat per Serving , Sugar , Cracker Meal , Wheat Starch, Salt, Dried Strawberries, Dried Apples, Dried Pears, Cornstarch , Leavening, Baking Soda, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate, Citric Acid, Milled Corn, Modified Wheat Starch, Gelatin, Caramel Color, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Cottonseed O - Less than 0.5 g Trans Fat per Serving, Modified Corn Starch, Xanthan Gum, Soy Lecithin, Color Added, Niacinamide, Reduced Iron, Red No. 40, Vitamin A Palmitate, Yellow No. 6 Pyridoxine Hydrochloride - Vitamin B6, Riboflavin - Vitamin B2, Thiamin Hydrochloride - Vitamin B1, Folic Acid, Turmeric Color, Blue No. 1
POPTART.
Of course the best way to be sure that you are not eating nasty toxic stuff is to eat whole foods, organic when possible, and to wash them well before eating them. If you are going to eat processed food, see if you can spot these ingredients before you buy, and seek an alternative if the food you normally purchase has one of these nasties in it. This list is in progress: feel free to argue with me or suggest other food additives to avoid. And this list does not cover all the nasty additives that are put into lotions, makeup and sunscreen to be absorbed through the skin. That's a whole different list.
BADDIES FOUND IN FOOD
--Sodium Nitrate and Sodium Nitrite (E221) (carcinogen?, causes anemia in infants, used as preservative/coloring/flavoring in processed meats including bacon, ham, hot dogs, lunch meat, smoked fish, and corned beef)(also sodium nitrite in wine)
--BHA and BHT, aka Butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydrozyttoluene (synthetic antioxidants, used to prevent rancidification of cereals, chewing gum, potato chips, and vegetable oil)
--Propyl Gallate (possible carcinogen, preservative commonly used with BHA and BHT, can be found in meat products, chicken soup base, and chewing gum)
--MSG aka Monosodium Glutamate (damages nerve cells in baby mice, causes headaches/nausea in humans, is an amino acid that enhances flavor because it binds to our 5th--recently discovered--kind of tastebud that detects and likes MEAT. It is found in soups, salad dressings, chips, frozen entrees, and restaurant food.
--Trans Fats (cause heart disease, often found in restaurant food esp fast food and in some junk food still)(includes 2/3 of soybean oils)
--Aspartame (no proof yet of causation, but many people think it causes cancer and neurological issues such as dizziness/headache. Seen as brand names Nutrasweet and Equal. Sweetener for low-calorie desserts, gelatins, drink mixes, and soft drinks)
--Acesulfame-K (may cause cancer in rats, not much research yet, this is a new artificial sweetener found in baked goods, chewing gum, and gelatin desserts.
--Food Colorings: Blue 1, 2; Red 3; Green 3; Yellow 6 (cause hyperactivity and distraction in children, cancer in mice, bladder, adrenal and kidney cancer in humans, found in beverages, candy, baked goods, pet food, cherries, fruit cocktail, sausage, gelatin)
--Olestra (may cause diarrhea, abodminal cramps, gas, inhibits vitamin absortion from fat incl carotenoids, is a a synthetic fat found in some potato chips)
--Potassium Bromate (highly carcinogenic, additive to increase volume in white flour products.)
--High Fructose Corn Syrup (worse than sugar, #1 source of calories in America)
--Sodium Benzoate (E211, preservative, causes hyperactivity and distractability in children) (ALSO: Sunset yellow (E110), Quinoline yellow (E104), Carmoisine (E122), Tartrazine (E102), Ponceau 4R (E124) ,Allura red AC (E129))
--Soybean oil (besides being hydrogenated this has isoflavone levels that interfere with natural hormones, and interfere with thyroid and immune function)
--Soy protein isolate (the ubiquitous low carb filler that is in all those energy bars and "healthy" diet foods, blocks nutrient absorbtion and causes allergies and autoimmune problems)
MERCOLA'S COMMENTS FROM HERE DOWN
ON FOOD COLORS
Food Colors May be as Damaging as Lead in Gasoline on Children’s Brains
The British magazine The Independent on April 5 2008, reported that artificial food colors (but not the preservative sodium benzoate) are now set to be removed from hundreds of products in the UK because the results of the study mentioned above also indicate that the E-numbers do as much damage to children's brains as lead in gasoline, resulting in a significant reduction in IQ.
The lead author, Professor Stevenson, and his three colleagues have stated:
"The position in relation to AFCs [Artificial Food Colors] is analogous to the state of knowledge about lead and IQ that was being evaluated in the early 1980s ... Needleman [a researcher] found the difference in IQ between high and low lead groups was 5.5 IQ points ... This is very close to the sizes obtained in our study of food additives."
Officials at the British FSA are advising the food industry to voluntarily remove the six food dyes named in the study by the end of 2009, and replace them with natural alternatives if possible.
True to form, the food industry claims the additives are used in a mere “handful” of products, but the website ActionOnAdditives.com has already identified more than 1,000 food products that contain them – most of which are targeted at children.
BEWARE -- Already Banned Food Additives Still Found in Children’s Medicines
Another thing you need to be aware of, as a parent, is that when an ingredient is banned for use in food, it is not automatically banned for use in other areas such as medicine.
According to an expose’ by the British Food Commission last year, food additives that have already been banned for use in food and beverages are still used in a majority of pediatric over-the-counter medicines.
Their survey found that ALL BUT ONE medicine out of 41 contained an additive that had been banned.
The additives found in these drugs included:
Synthetic azo dyes
Maltitol and sorbitol
Benzoate and sulphite preservatives
Chloroform
The justification for using these toxic compounds is what you'd typically expect from an over-the-counter pharmaceutical trade group: Unlike foods, additives in medicines are used in small quantities and are only taken for a short time.
SOURCES
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/06/24/12-food-additives-to-avoid.aspx?source=nl
http://health.msn.com/nutrition/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=100204508&imageindex=1
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/food-additives-could-be-as-damaging-as-lead-in-petrol-804890.html
http://www.foodcomm.org.uk/latest_medicines_Mar07.htm
Enriched Flour, Wheat Flour, Niacinamide , Reduced Iron , Thiamin Mononitrate - Vitamin B1 , Riboflavin - Vitamin B2 , Folic Acid , Corn Syrup , High Fructose Corn Syrup , Dextrose , Vegetable Oil , Soybean Oil , Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil - with TBHQ and Citric Acid for Freshness - Less than 0.5 g Trans Fat per Serving , Sugar , Cracker Meal , Wheat Starch, Salt, Dried Strawberries, Dried Apples, Dried Pears, Cornstarch , Leavening, Baking Soda, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate, Citric Acid, Milled Corn, Modified Wheat Starch, Gelatin, Caramel Color, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Cottonseed O - Less than 0.5 g Trans Fat per Serving, Modified Corn Starch, Xanthan Gum, Soy Lecithin, Color Added, Niacinamide, Reduced Iron, Red No. 40, Vitamin A Palmitate, Yellow No. 6 Pyridoxine Hydrochloride - Vitamin B6, Riboflavin - Vitamin B2, Thiamin Hydrochloride - Vitamin B1, Folic Acid, Turmeric Color, Blue No. 1
POPTART.
Of course the best way to be sure that you are not eating nasty toxic stuff is to eat whole foods, organic when possible, and to wash them well before eating them. If you are going to eat processed food, see if you can spot these ingredients before you buy, and seek an alternative if the food you normally purchase has one of these nasties in it. This list is in progress: feel free to argue with me or suggest other food additives to avoid. And this list does not cover all the nasty additives that are put into lotions, makeup and sunscreen to be absorbed through the skin. That's a whole different list.
BADDIES FOUND IN FOOD
--Sodium Nitrate and Sodium Nitrite (E221) (carcinogen?, causes anemia in infants, used as preservative/coloring/flavoring in processed meats including bacon, ham, hot dogs, lunch meat, smoked fish, and corned beef)(also sodium nitrite in wine)
--BHA and BHT, aka Butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydrozyttoluene (synthetic antioxidants, used to prevent rancidification of cereals, chewing gum, potato chips, and vegetable oil)
--Propyl Gallate (possible carcinogen, preservative commonly used with BHA and BHT, can be found in meat products, chicken soup base, and chewing gum)
--MSG aka Monosodium Glutamate (damages nerve cells in baby mice, causes headaches/nausea in humans, is an amino acid that enhances flavor because it binds to our 5th--recently discovered--kind of tastebud that detects and likes MEAT. It is found in soups, salad dressings, chips, frozen entrees, and restaurant food.
--Trans Fats (cause heart disease, often found in restaurant food esp fast food and in some junk food still)(includes 2/3 of soybean oils)
--Aspartame (no proof yet of causation, but many people think it causes cancer and neurological issues such as dizziness/headache. Seen as brand names Nutrasweet and Equal. Sweetener for low-calorie desserts, gelatins, drink mixes, and soft drinks)
--Acesulfame-K (may cause cancer in rats, not much research yet, this is a new artificial sweetener found in baked goods, chewing gum, and gelatin desserts.
--Food Colorings: Blue 1, 2; Red 3; Green 3; Yellow 6 (cause hyperactivity and distraction in children, cancer in mice, bladder, adrenal and kidney cancer in humans, found in beverages, candy, baked goods, pet food, cherries, fruit cocktail, sausage, gelatin)
--Olestra (may cause diarrhea, abodminal cramps, gas, inhibits vitamin absortion from fat incl carotenoids, is a a synthetic fat found in some potato chips)
--Potassium Bromate (highly carcinogenic, additive to increase volume in white flour products.)
--High Fructose Corn Syrup (worse than sugar, #1 source of calories in America)
--Sodium Benzoate (E211, preservative, causes hyperactivity and distractability in children) (ALSO: Sunset yellow (E110), Quinoline yellow (E104), Carmoisine (E122), Tartrazine (E102), Ponceau 4R (E124) ,Allura red AC (E129))
--Soybean oil (besides being hydrogenated this has isoflavone levels that interfere with natural hormones, and interfere with thyroid and immune function)
--Soy protein isolate (the ubiquitous low carb filler that is in all those energy bars and "healthy" diet foods, blocks nutrient absorbtion and causes allergies and autoimmune problems)
MERCOLA'S COMMENTS FROM HERE DOWN
ON FOOD COLORS
Food Colors May be as Damaging as Lead in Gasoline on Children’s Brains
The British magazine The Independent on April 5 2008, reported that artificial food colors (but not the preservative sodium benzoate) are now set to be removed from hundreds of products in the UK because the results of the study mentioned above also indicate that the E-numbers do as much damage to children's brains as lead in gasoline, resulting in a significant reduction in IQ.
The lead author, Professor Stevenson, and his three colleagues have stated:
"The position in relation to AFCs [Artificial Food Colors] is analogous to the state of knowledge about lead and IQ that was being evaluated in the early 1980s ... Needleman [a researcher] found the difference in IQ between high and low lead groups was 5.5 IQ points ... This is very close to the sizes obtained in our study of food additives."
Officials at the British FSA are advising the food industry to voluntarily remove the six food dyes named in the study by the end of 2009, and replace them with natural alternatives if possible.
True to form, the food industry claims the additives are used in a mere “handful” of products, but the website ActionOnAdditives.com has already identified more than 1,000 food products that contain them – most of which are targeted at children.
BEWARE -- Already Banned Food Additives Still Found in Children’s Medicines
Another thing you need to be aware of, as a parent, is that when an ingredient is banned for use in food, it is not automatically banned for use in other areas such as medicine.
According to an expose’ by the British Food Commission last year, food additives that have already been banned for use in food and beverages are still used in a majority of pediatric over-the-counter medicines.
Their survey found that ALL BUT ONE medicine out of 41 contained an additive that had been banned.
The additives found in these drugs included:
Synthetic azo dyes
Maltitol and sorbitol
Benzoate and sulphite preservatives
Chloroform
The justification for using these toxic compounds is what you'd typically expect from an over-the-counter pharmaceutical trade group: Unlike foods, additives in medicines are used in small quantities and are only taken for a short time.
SOURCES
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/06/24/12-food-additives-to-avoid.aspx?source=nl
http://health.msn.com/nutrition/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=100204508&imageindex=1
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/food-additives-could-be-as-damaging-as-lead-in-petrol-804890.html
http://www.foodcomm.org.uk/latest_medicines_Mar07.htm
