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Food Additives -
Food Additives 2008
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Written by Frank Mangano
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When you hear the term food additives, it is normal and makes sense to think that it is beneficial to eat something with an additive in it. This however, is completely false. Food additives are more often then not dangerous for our health. Many studies and tests have been performed on animals in the past regarding the results of these additives and found that many of them provide cancer-causing chemicals for our bodies. Although it can be hard to know if a human will respond in the same way, our health is too delicate to assume that it won’t.
Let’s go through the 8 additives that should be eliminated from your diet today and why.
- Sodium Nitrate is a preservative, flavoring and coloring used in meat products today. Under heat such as grilling or cooking of any kind this additive turns into a reactive compound, which is capable of promoting cancer cells.
- Butylated hydroxyanisole and Butylated hydrozyttoluene are both common preservatives used in household foods such as cereal, potato chips and even chewing gum. Although these additives are not a high risk for everyone, they are a cancer risk for some.
- Propyl gallate is a preservative used to make sure oils and fats do not spoil within a product. Although it has not been linked to cancer yet, animal testing proves that it is possible, which makes it an additive to avoid. Found in meat products, gum and chicken soup base.
- Monosodium glutamate or MSG is a common ingredient to flavor soups, salad dressings, restaurant dishes and frozen entrees. MSG has been known to cause nausea and headaches for some people and damage the brain cells of mice during a targeted study.
- The overeating of Trans Fats can lead to heart disease, which is why this additive should be eliminated from your diet.
- Aspartame is a common ingredient in “diet” foods and is a combination of amino acids and methanol, which may cause cancer or even neurological problems.
- Acesulfame-K is a fairly new artificial sweetener, which is commonly used in cola drinks, baked goods and gelatin as well. A study showed this sweetener to cause cancer in rats, which is why it should be avoided until further studies can be completed.
- Many people more then likely believe that dangerous food colorings have been banned from the market years ago but there are still a few left. Blue, red, green and yellow have been linked to cancer causing agents when tested on rats today.
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As you can see there are many food additives that exist in our everyday foods today, which should be avoided. There are many natural ways to sweeten and spice up your foods and these provide no risks or dangers for your health. Stevia is one of the most popular forms of natural sweeteners today and should be considered to as the number one alternative for food additives such as aspartame.
 
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