Dying for Nutrition
In our society, untrained, uneducated, unknowledgeable grocery shopping has become hazardous to our health. Many harmful additives are present in our food supply and our health is being destroyed by them. These hidden chemicals in the foods we eat are causing us to be sick.
Food additives are common in most packaged foods. These additives are fast at work making you fat, giving you cancer and causing diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, hormonal imbalances and more.
In the past our soil was rich with nutrients and eating foods without herbicides and pesticides was commonplace. Ingredients were not processed and families ate more wholesome and natural foods baked from scratch. Nowadays the majority of our food supply is manufactured in a laboratory from substances that are not intended for your body.
If the food comes in a can, box, bag or bottle, you can be certain it has had most of the nutrients processed out. Products also are bleached and deodorized. Then some artificial vitamin supplements are substituted in their place and the general public is led to believe the product is nutritious. For the product to have a fresh taste when it’s purchased a few years later it must be preserved so it can sit on a grocery store shelf. Oftentimes the product will contain a long list of ingredients that are difficult to pronounce and don’t sound like food. Unfortunately, food additives are lurking in most packaged foods and they are dangerous to your health. Studies have shown that some of these toxic additives can not only make you fat, but they are often the catalyst for debilitating diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, hormonal imbalances and more.
The good news is these illnesses are manmade! They can be greatly improved and possibly eliminated with proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle.
Synthetic Nutrients
The dead giveaway that a product contains synthetic nutrients is if it is labeled with the term “enriched”. This term describes most white grains such as pasta and spaghetti, macaroni, white rice and white breads. During the processing, all of the natural nutrients are stripped out of the grain to make it appear white. Then, synthetic B nutrients known as niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate and riboflavin are added to the ingredients to make the food “appear” healthy. Synthetic B nutrients are chemically derived using formaldehyde and petroleum and they are actually very unhealthy! It’s easy to avoid synthetic nutrients by purchasing organic whole grains and organic pasta. In fact, basmati and jasmine rice are naturally white grains that can be found next to the conventional brands on the shelves of your local supermarket. Mix it up a little bit and try other healthier grains such as couscous, quinoa, polenta (corn meal) brown rice and millet.
High fructose corn syrup – Sugar by another name
High fructose corn syrup is a sugar derived from corn. There is a good chance that it is genetically modified. Corn is one of the most commonly genetically engineered foods produced in the United States and genetically engineered corn is commonly used in processed foods. Genetically engineered ingredients are not labeled in the United States.
High fructose corn syrup may cause gastrointestinal distress and elevated triglycerides. It also is associated with blood sugar problems, depression, fatigue, B-vitamin deficiency, hyperactivity, tooth decay and periodontal disease. Large amounts have caused tumors in mice.
Genetically Modified Organisms GMO
The four primary GMO foods are soy, corn, canola and sugar beets. Derivatives of these foods are present in more than 70 percent of food in the grocery store.
The main reason the plants are genetically modified is so they can handle higher amounts of herbicide. Bacterial genes are inserted that allow them to survive doses of herbicide that would otherwise kill them.
It should be fairly easy to buy organic soy milk, tofu, tempeh, cornmeal, polenta and canola oil if you visit the local health food store. By definition, Certified Organic food cannot be GMO, but the challenge comes with packaged foods.
Most packaged foods contain fillers like soybean oil, soy protein and high fructose corn syrup. Those produced by healthy brands may have all organic ingredients but many do not.
The surest way to protect yourself from eating these foods is by making recipes from scratch from whole foods without fillers and preservatives.
MSG
MSG is monosodium glutamate, a flavor-enhancer added to most processed food to make it taste good. This substance crosses the blood-brain barrier and excites your brain cells to death. In infants and children, the blood-brain barrier is not fully developed, making MSG even more harmful to young ones.
The harmful component of MSG is the glutamate. Glutamic acid is an essential amino acid found in protein and is required for the human body to be healthy. It is the L-glutamic acid that is the part of protein that your body needs. When glutamic acid is manufactured, it contains both L-glutamic acid and D-glutamic acid. D-glutamic acid occurs as a result of the manufacturing process only. It is not a part of the protein and your body does not need it. It is a neurotoxin, which means it is toxic to your nervous system. For food companies to list MSG as an ingredient, the glutamic acid content in the food must be seventy-nine percent or greater. If there is seventy-eight percent or less of glutamic acid in the substance, the food companies are not required to include MSG on the labels. They also are not required to list the chemicals that are used to derive certain ingredients on the label. Therefore, there is loads of MSG in foods that we are not aware of. MSG can be hidden in many ingredients that the average consumer is not aware of. Ingredients that contain MSG but are not labelled MSG are known as “clean label ingredients” and are used to deceive the consumer.
Clean Label Ingredients to be aware of from Truth in Labelling.org.
- Glutamate
- Glutamic acid
- Monosodium glutamate
- Magnesium glutamate
- Natrium glutamate
- Gelatin
- Calcium caseinate
- Sodium caseinate
- Textured protein
- Hydrolysed protein (anything hydrolysed)
- Yeast nutrient, yeast extract
- Yeast food
- Autolyzed yeast
- Vetsin
- Ajinomoto
According to Truth in Labelling, there also are some ingredients that often contain MSG or create MSG during processing such as:
- Carrageenan
- Maltodextrin
- Malt extract, malt flavoring
- Barley malt
- Citric acid
- Soy protein concentrate, soy protein isolate, soy protein
- Whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate, whey protein
- Seasonings
- Protease, protease enzymes
- Pectin
- Natural flavor, flavorings
Some ingredients work with MSG and their use suggests that the product has MSG in it. These ingredients are not likely to be used as food additives if there were no MSG present.
- Disodium 5-Guanylate
- Disodium 5-Inosinate
- Disodium 5-Ribonucleotides
Low-fat and non-fat milk products often will include milk solids that contain MSG and/or contain carrageenan, guar gum, and/or locust bean gum. Low-fat and non-fat versions of ice cream and cheese are in this category as well. Protein powders often will contain glutamic acid, which would be the processed free glutamic acid known as MSG.
Hydrogenated oils
Fully hydrogenated oils may not contain trans-fats, but research shows they may be worse than trans fats because they lower the good cholesterol more than trans fats and raise blood sugar levels. Hydrogenated oils are associated with heart disease, breast and colon cancer, atherosclerosis and high cholesterol.
Partially hydrogenated fats and oils contain trans fats and also are associated with heart disease, breast and colon cancer, atherosclerosis and high cholesterol. Even if a package claims that No Trans Fats are used, you must read the label to see if it contains partially hydrogenated oils. The government allows companies to say “No Trans Fats” if the food contains less than 0.5 g of trans fat per serving.
Cancer-Causing Additives
Nitrites and nitrates are used in processed meats and form powerful cancer-causing agents in your stomach. The FDA knows they’re dangerous but allows these ingredients in food because they prevent botulism.
Nitrite-free meets can be found in your health food store. But read the ingredients on the label to ensure the food does not contain sodium nitrite, potassium nitrite or anything that has nitrite or nitrate in the name.
Sodium benzoate is the most widely used preservative in the world. It is typically used in beverages, foods, liquid nutritional supplements, toothpaste, oral care products and pharmaceuticals to name a few things.
Sodium benzoate can cause skin rashes, gastrointestinal upset, hyperactivity in children, neurological disorders and more. It has caused birth defects in lab animals. Sodium benzoate, along with potassium benzoate, when in a product containing ascorbic acid or vitamin C, can form benzene. Benzene is known to cause cancer.
Aspartame
Aspartame is one of the most dangerous food additives on the market today. Drinks, candy and chewing gum are potential sources of hidden MSG and/or aspartame and neotame. Aspartic acid, found in neotame and aspartame, ordinarily causes MSG-type reactions in MSG-sensitive people. Aspartame is found in some medications, including children’s medications. Neotame is relatively new and we have not yet seen it used widely in the United States. Aspartame is commonly known as Equal and Nutrasweet. In Europe, it’s called E951. The FDA stopped monitoring adverse toxicity reactions from aspartame in 1995. However, before that, 92 different adverse reactions from aspartame were reported. Recent studies have shown that aspartame causes cancer in amounts approved for human consumption and it is genetically modified.
Aspartame can be found in beverages (all kinds, even those for kids), chewing gum, breath mints, cereal, frozen desserts, ice cream, gelatin desserts, puddings, cookies, yogurt, frozen yogurt, fruit spreads, sugar-free maple syrup, hard candy, laxatives, chewable vitamins, vitamin and herb supplements, over-the-counter medications, prescription drugs, orthodontic elastics, pediatric antibiotics and more! Read the ingredients on the labels very carefully and make sure you do not use any products that contain aspartame.
Start living a healthier lifestyle today by being more mindful of the ingredients in your food. Unfortunately, there isn’t much help from official sources. They are controlled by big corporations interested in raking in the cash — from government agencies to big agricultural and food companies, to research institutes and even Congress. They lie and tell us that something is nutritious as long as it helps corporations make a fortune and keeps government officials in office. As a result, people are getting bad information about basic health information that could be leading to heart disease, diabetes, cancer and a host of other illnesses that are widespread today. Take control of your life and your diet, you owe it to yourself!
Sources:
Food Additives by Christine Hoza Farlow
Truth in labeling.org
