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Food Additives -
Food Additives 2008
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Written by Frank Mangano
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Tuesday, 24 June 2008 17:17 |
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Almost all of the foods we eat within a day that are not within its natural state contain a certain amount of additives. These additives are used to help enhance the color, texture, shelf life and even taste but they can be quite dangerous to our health. Generally, additives are used in small amounts but still it has been estimated the average American consumes more than 5 pounds of additives per year. As you can see it can greatly add up over time when you do not realize what you are putting into your body. These additives add little or no nutritional value to your diet only dangerous chemicals and heavy metals that can begin to inhibit the function of your body’s internal systems and more.
There are 12 different types of food additives that are known to be the most dangerous. These 12 additives include:
- Sodium Nitrate- This is one of the top dangerous food additives to avoid. It can be found in hot dogs, bacon, lunch meats, ham, etc. It has been linked to a series of different cancers.
- Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated Hydrozyttoluene (BHT)- These additives, which can be found in cereals, gum, vegetable oils and potato chips can run the risk of causing cancer.
- Propyl gallate- Some studies have shown this additive to possibly be linked to cancer. It is mostly found in some meat products and gum.
- Monosodium glutamate- Is used mostly in soups and asian foods. MSG can cause migraine-like-headaches and nausea in some people. It has proved to cause nerve cell damage in mice.
- Trans fat- Is mostly found in meats and dairy products. This dangerous additive has been known to cause heart disease if consumed too much.
- Aspartame- One of the more commonly known additives and most used in diet foods. It is dangerous because it has also been linked to cancer.
- Acesulfame-K- This fairly new additive has been used in products such as soft drinks and chewing gum because it is known to be 200 times more sweeter than sugar. It has caused cancer in rats but has still not been proven in humans. It is still a risk.
- Food Colorings: Blue 1, 2; Red 3; Green 3; Yellow 6- These dyes can be found in many different products from pet foods to candy. Some have been shown to cause tumors.
- Olestra- This additive is used in some brands of potato chips and is known to cause diarrhea, stomach cramps and gas.
- Potassium bromate- This additive is used rarely, but usually in bread products. It runs the risk of cancer.
- White Sugar- Can be found in many processed foods, which is unsafe because it can lead to tooth decay, weight gain, and high blood sugar levels. An example of this is baked goods.
- Sodium chloride- Also known as salt can be dangerous if used excessively because it can cause high blood pressure and heart attack.
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These artificial chemicals by far are the greatest threat to your health because as you can see you are consuming them through almost every daily food product found within your home today. This of course is going to increase the amount of additives you consume per year from. Although the FDA may have granted some of these additives as safe, there are many scientific studies circulating today stating their connection to cancers of many different types. It will take years before the FDA reconsiders their standings in this matter, which is why you have to make the healthy choices today.
It can be hard to believe just how many additives can be found within our foods today. This is why it is essential to thoroughly read the list of ingredients on all food labels. On the other hand, unprocessed raw foods do not contain any artificial additives, only natural medicine that helps prevent and fight disease.
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