5 Food Additives To Avoid And Their Effects

Although there are many food additives we should avoid due to their negative effects, there are five in particular which I personally think you should be aware of.

1. Benzoates. The variations of these chemicals are Benzoic Acid, Sodium Benzoates, Calcium Benzoates and Potassium Benzoates. These are used to prevent mould from growing in foods such as pickles, salad dressings, fruit juices soft drinks and even jams and jelly. A reason to avoid these chemicals is because they are linked with dizziness, hyperactivity and DNA damage to name a few things. Another reason to avoid benzoates is that when sodium benzoate and potassium benzoate are combined with ascorbic acid, they form benzene which is a known carcinogen.

2. Nitrites. Can also be known as Sodium Nitrite and Potassium Nitrite. Nitrites are used as a preservative in the vast majority of processed meats if not all processed meats such as sausages, hot dogs, bacon and cold cuts of meat. They preserve the colour of these meats. However, Nitrites are knows to cause many types of cancer such as thyroid, colon, stomach, bladder and Leukaemia (blood cancer for those who are unaware of what leukaemia is), as well as infant health problems, headaches, irritability, pregnancy complications. When cooked, Nitrites form Nitrosamines which also cause cancer.

3. Sulphites. They prevent bacteria from growing in foods such as Pizza and Pie crusts, dried fruits, ready meals, oven chips and even wine and beer. Sulphites cause itchy eyes and wheezing cough, hay fever and a runny nose. It is said that 1 in 10 people will have a more aggressive reaction to sulphite chemicals like rashes, asthmatic attacks, and restricted breathing. They also destroy Vitamin B1.

4. Sorbates. These apparently are rather harmful compared to other chemicals and used as a preservative to prevent yeast from growing. They do not alter the taste, smell or colour of food. You are likely to find them in foods such as dried meats, cheese, yoghurts, baked goods and margarine. They are likely to be labelled as Potassium Sorbate or Calcium Sorbate.

5. Aspartame. Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that also goes by the name E951. It is found in anything that is Diet and/or Light e.g. Diet Coke/Diet Soda, Light Yogurts etc. It is a carcinogen that causes headaches and migranes, depression, behavioral problems, blurred vision, eye pains, Convulsions, epilepsy and more. Aspartame is also a waste product of Genetically Modified bacteria which suggests that it too is GMO.

Source: http://www.wakingtimes.com/2013/10/14/5-food-additives-avoid/

A couple of reasons to stop drinking sodas. Want to know more? Keep reading.

If drinking sodas is one of your little pleasures you should stop and consider what you are drinking. For those of you that don’t know what a soda is, it is essentially carbonated water with a sweetener and a flavour agent among other ingredients. Sodas have been around for a long time and have also changed in the process. How? Well you’ll just have to move on to the next paragraph to find out.

In the olden days, sodas were sweetened with natural sugar cane which is better for health than the artificial sweeteners and synthetic additives. One major drawback is that the High Fructose Corn Syrup or HCFS that is used in most soft drinks and sodas today is derived from corn. This is a drawback because most of the corn (at least in the US if not in the UK and US) is in fact genetically modified and so the drinks are likely full of GMO’s. GMO’s are devoid of nutrition and are full of pesticides and herbicides which are harmful – the glyphosate in Roundup for example increases the risk of cancer even in the parts per billion range.

Toxins are another reason to stop drinking sodas. Whether your soft drink is in a plastic bottle or aluminium can, it is likely to be made with or coated in Bisphenol-A or BPA. This in itself causes an array of health problems and ailments. Next, many sodas are made with low quality, unfiltered tap water which contains industrial waste, pharmaceutical drugs and other chemicals such as arsenic and bromate. Even the HCFS sweetener is laced with chemical residues including mercury, a harmful chemical that damages your brain. You can find more on this link: http://wakeup-world.com/2013/08/20/5-good-reasons-to-stop-drinking-soda-immediately/

I personally find this shocking mainly because I didn’t realize there would be so many chemicals in sodas and soft drinks. I also think it’s outrageous that so many things are going into our food and drink without us even knowing about it. Don’t hesitate to comment your thoughts and feelings on this subject. Also feel free to share this post with others if you like.