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Food additives

This article is about “Food additives”, we hope to bring more articles about “Food additives” in the near future:

If you have ever purchased a bag of low calorie candy you will be dumbfounded after looking at the list of ingredients. We all want to keep our calories down, we want our food to taste good, but we have no idea about all those chemicals we are putting in our digestive system.

Sodium Nitrate and Nitrate.

If you become distended when you eat hotdogs or baloney it is a very good indication that there are nitrates in the product. Nitrates are preservatives added to processed meat products such as ham, and lunch meats. They prevent the growth of bacteria and give the meat a healthy looking pink hue which can be deceptive at times. These compounds become cancer causing agents called nitrosamines in the stomach. Nitrosamines are among the most powerful carcinogens known and even small amounts can cause cancer. Nitrates are considered dangerous by the FDA but they are not banned because they do prevent botulism. Side effects include headaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and for me, a distended stomach. Health food stores offer a variety of nitrate/nitrate free meats.

BHA and BHT

The longer names for these preservatives are butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydrozyttoluene preserve many foods. They also increase the risk of cancer and accumulate in body tissue causing liver enlargement. Animal studies link BHA with cancer. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services considers BHA to be considered as a carcinogen but they do not block its use. The additives are important to the food industry because they block the process of oil going rancid which can happen when oil is exposed to light. These additives are associated with changing moods, and they affect sleep and appetite. They have also been associated with liver and kidney damage, behavioral problems, and fetal abnormalities.

MSG

MSG is associated with Asian cooking but food companies and restaurant cooks use the additive in everything. Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, is an amino acid used as a flavor enhance in soups, salad dressings, chips, frozen entrees, and restaurant food. Using MSG allows cooks or companies in processed foods, to reduce the amount of real ingredients in their foods such as the chicken in chicken soup. MSG reduces costs.

Since 1960 the use of MSG has caused some concern when it was discovered that large amounts of MSG fed to infant mice destroyed nerve cells in the brain. This research forced baby food companies to stop adding MSG to their products. Even so, MSG may be hidden in infant formula, low fat milk, candy, drinks, over the counter medications, as a finder, as filler for nutritional supplements, and in prescription drugs.

Children are more sensitive to MSG than adults. Neonatal exposure to MSG can cause a permanent reduction in the secretion of growth hormone. Other reactions, by both children and adults, include headaches, nausea, weakness, wheezing, changes in heart rate, and difficulty breathing.

The following ingredients on a label also indicated MSG:

  • Hydrolyzed protein, soy or any type;
  • utolyzed yeast;
  • Monosodium glutamate;
  • Free glutamate;
  • Yeast extract;
  • Caseinate.

Artificial Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners are a combination of chemicals that make foods tast2 sweeter without the sugar calorie. Most of these have side effects and their chemical breakdown in the body may be harmful. If this were not enough, when artificial sweeteners are combined with other food additives, like artificial colors, they can have a more potent effect on your nerve cells. For instance, in a research project a few years ago, the application of a specific additive alone stopped mouse nerve cells from growing and also interfered with proper signaling systems. When the artificial color yellow and aspartame were combined, the effect on the nerve cells was seven times greater,

Interestingly, there is an increasing number of products that are low in calories but more people are getting fatter. How can this be? It happens that when you eat something sweet but do not take in the calories, your body will crave more calories than if you had eaten real sugar. That means the more artificially sweetened anything you eat the more weight you are likely to gain because you will crave more sweet foods. Besides, most of the foods that contain artificial sweeteners are of poor nutritional value causing your body to starve itself if that is all you are eating. You are still hungry all the time because your body is not getting the nutrients it needs.

Aspartame, also known by the brand names Nutrasweet and Equal, is one of the sweeteners frequently researched. It is found in low-calorie desserts, gelatins, drink mixes and soft drinks. It comes in individual packages used in place of sugar and has been the focus of hundreds of studies. Conclusions by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Organization, say the additive is safe. However, the Center for Science in the Public Interest gave it a very low ranking in a review of food additives suggesting there may be a link with aspartame and cancer but more research needs to be done.

If you define food additives as a substance not normally consumed as a food itself and not an ingredient of the food, then we humans have been adding additives to our food for centuries just by adding salt. Most of us tolerate these food additives and many of the artificial additives. However, some are considered toxic and may even be carcinogenic. To be on the safe side, consider reducing the amount of food additives and artificial sweeteners you include in your diet.

Ruthan Brodsky specializes in health and business topics targeted to the baby boomer population. As an author, copywriter, speaker and coach she is highly regarded for her ability to take a complicated subject and make it understood by the non medical and non technical reader. I invite you to claim her short report, 15 Steps to Challenge Your Brain at http://www.secretstohealthandaging.com/welcome

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