The Top 12 Harmful Food Additives You Need To Eliminate From Your Diet

First on the list is Sodium Nitrate.  Switching to turkey bacon in the morning is not good for your health.  The reason, sodium nitrate is in processed meats, such as, hot dogs, regular bacon, turkey bacon, bologna and many lunch meats.

What is sodium nitrite? Sodium nitrite is a food additive used as a preservative. It is used to extend the life of meats, and to prevent the growth of bacteria.

What’s the problem? Sodium nitrite is toxic. When you eat it, nitrosamines are formed. These dangerous compounds are highly carcinogenic. During lab studies, researchers inject these compounds into lab mice when they want to give them cancer. Clearly, this is not something we should be consuming. Although you may be consuming less fat by eating turkey products instead of red meat, you are not necessarily reducing your cancer risk. In fact; cancer risk is thought to be higher in meat than other foods, not simply because of the higher saturated fat content, but because of the sodium nitrite content.

Second on the list is BHA & BHT.

BHA and BHT stands for Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). These are food additives that are used as a preservative to keep food from spoilage. BHA and BHT can be found in butter, meats, chewing gum, snack foods, dehydrated potatoes, and even beer. These additives are approved by the FDA as safe for human consumption. However, they are proven carcinogens. There is proof that some people have difficulty metabolizing BHA and this can result in health and behavioral changes.

“The structure of BHA and BHT will change during this process [of preserving food], and may form a compound that reacts in the body,” says Gerbstadt. “BHA and BHT are not stable or inert. They’re not just hanging out and being excreted by the body.” Gerbstadt says that they are obviously not added for the purpose of giving people cancer, but for some people, some of the time, there may be that risk.

Third on the list is Trans fats.   This one really ticks me off.  Try finding hamburgers without trans fats in them, it is almost impossible.  Hamburgers taste perfectly fine without them adding trans fats.  Also, those who use margarines, they may not list them in the ingredients – but, most have at least  .5% in them and sometimes as high as .7%.

Artificial trans fats are made when hydrogen gas reacts with oil. They can be found in cookies, crackers, icing, potato chips, stick margarine and microwave popcorn. About 80 percent of trans fat in American’s diet comes from factory-produce partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.

Why are they so bad for you?

Trans fats pose a higher risk of heart disease than saturated fats, which were once believed to be the worst kind of fats. While it is true that saturated fats — found in butter, cheese and beef, for example — raise total cholesterol levels, trans fats go a step further. Trans fats not only raise total cholesterol levels, they also deplete good cholesterol (HDL), which helps protect against heart disease.

Fourth on the list is Olestra.  This is the additive that Mad TV did a skit on, because of it’s nasty side effects.

Olestra is a fake fat, used to make non-fat potato chips and other snacks. You’d think, with all the bad rap fat has gotten, a non-fat fat would be great. But Olestra has been shown to bind with fat-soluble vitamins A, E, D and K and carotenoids — substances thought to keep the immune system healthy and prevent some cancers — and to eliminate them from your system. Proctor & Gamble, the company that produces olestra, has acknowledged the problem with vitamins A, E, D and K and is now fortifying it with them. Olestra has also caused digestive upset in some people, especially when they eat a lot of it. Often, it’s not just fat in the potato chips that causes problems for people; it’s the fact that they are displacing healthier foods, such as fruit, so Olestra can just perpetuate an unhealthy habit.

Fifth on the list is Propyl gallate.

This preservative, used to prevent fats and oils from spoiling, might cause cancer. It’s used in vegetable oil, meat products, potato sticks, chicken soup base and chewing gum, and is often used with BHA and BHT.

Sixth on the list is Monosodium glutamate.  Is an amino acid used widely as a flavor enhancer in frozen dinners, salad dressings, chips and restaurant food.  This additive is in my favorite asian foods, like egg rolls and wontons, so I only order chinese take-out now about once a year.  Love the taste but, I pay later – feel sluggish and bloated.

MSG is now so ubiquitous in our food chain (east and west) that you would be very hard pressed to go MSG-free. As you would expect, junk foods and instant foods like soups and other mixes contain MSG. Prepared food in your grocery stores and at fast food outlets (KFC chicken skin is massively loaded with MSG) and fine dining restaurants alike are awash in MSG.

When you see the word “citric acid” in prepared food ingredient lists, think MSG. Industrial citric acid is not made from citrus fruits, its made from corn. Its not pure either.

Why is MSG bad for you?

Early on (in the 50s) studies reported significant issues relating to the exposure of mammals to MSG. If neonatal rats were given a single exposure to MSG, the neurons in the inner layer of their retina were killed. It was also reported that certain parts of their brains were injured as well (the hypothalamus). When considering various findings of MSG exposure in the rat, remember that humans are some 5-6 times more sensitive to MSG than rats.

At one point, researchers determined that rats would be an excellent model for the study of obesity after the exposure to MSG. MSG is a chemoinducer of obesity, type II diabetes and metabolic syndrome X in the rat. (lesion of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH) by administering monosodium glutamate) Thus, MSG is used in the lab to induce obesity in rats.

Seventh on the list is Potassium bromate.

Potassium bromate (KBrO3) is an oxidizing agent that has been used as a food additive, mainly in the bread-making process. Although adverse effects are not evident in animals fed bread-based diets made from flour treated with KBrO3, the agent is carcinogenic in rats and nephrotoxic in both man and experimental animals when given orally. It has been demonstrated that KBrO3 induces renal cell tumors, mesotheliomas of the peritoneum, and follicular cell tumors of the thyroid. In addition, experiments aimed at elucidating the mode of carcinogenic action have revealed that KBrO3 is a complete carcinogen, possessing both initiating and promoting activities for rat renal tumorigenesis.

Eighth on the list is Aspartame.  This is the artificial sugar substitute.   I don’t like the aftertaste of Nutrasweet or Equal, which is made by the Monsanto Corporation.

Although aspartame is added to over 9,000 food products, it is not fit for human consumption! This toxic poison changes into formaldehyde in the body and has been linked to migraines, seizures, vision loss and symptoms relating to lupus, Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis and other health destroying conditions.

Besides being a deadly poison, aspartame actually contributes to weight gain by causing a craving for carbohydrates. A study of 80,000 women by the American Cancer Society found that those who used this neurotoxic “diet” sweetener actually gained more weight than those who didn’t use aspartame products. Find out more about the deadly health risks posed by Monsanto’s toxic sweetener on this website: http://www.aspartamekills.com.

Aspartame/Nutrasweet (aspartylphenylalanine-methyl-ester) breaks down to its poison constituents at 86 degrees (Aspartic Acid 40%, Phenylalanine 50%, and Methanol 10%). Remember your stomach is at 98.6 degrees! Therefore you should never use Aspartame/Nutrasweet in hot beverages or cooked foods such as Jell-O. How the FDA allows this remains a mystery. There is mounting evidence that the “Burning Mouth Syndrome” experienced by the Desert Storm troops was actually Methanol poisoning from the Diet Coke they drank lots of, after being exposed to desert temperatures.

Ninth on the list is Food colorings (Blue & , Red , Green , Yellow ).

Research on animals suggests that other additives may cause cancer. This includes six artificial food colorings (blues #1, #2, and #3, green #3, red #3, and yellow #6).

Red #40 some side effects are: ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).  Red #3 is used in cherries (in fruit cocktails), baked goods and candy. It causes thyroid tumors in rats, and may cause them in humans as well.  Blue #1 is used to color candy and is in beverages, may cause cancer.

Artificial food and supplement colorings are made of coal tar and petrochemicals. Who’d knowingly eat that? Among other things, artificial food colorings are shown to increase hyperactivity in a wide range of children…”

Tenth on the list is Sodium chloride. We know it as salt.  Large doses can lead to heart and blood pressure problems, as well as strokes and kidney failure.

Eleventh on the list is Acesulfame-K. Is a newer sweetener used in soft drinks and some baked goods.   It was approved by the FDA in 1998 for use in soft drinks.

Acesulfame-K—the “K” is the chemistry symbol for potassium—is considered 200 times sweeter than sugar. While Gerbstadt isn’t specifically concerned about this sweetener when used in moderation, there is a general concern that testing on this product has been scant. Some studies showed the additive may cause cancer in rats.

This one should be avoided until further studies are done to know if there are any harmful affects.

Twelfth on the list is White sugar.  This is the one I will never give up, but I do use more honey now to cut back on my intake.

The white crystalline substance we know of as sugar is an unnatural substance produced by industrial processes (mostly from sugar cane or sugar beets) by refining it down to pure sucrose, after stripping away all the vitamins, minerals, proteins, enzymes and other beneficial nutrients.

What is left is a concentrated unnatural substance which the human body is not able to handle, at least not in anywhere near the quantities that is now ingested in today’s accepted lifestyle. Sugar is addictive. The average American now consumes approximately 115 lbs. of sugar per year. This is per man, woman and child.

The damage sugar does is slow and insidious. It takes years before it ruins your pancreas, your adrenal glands, throws your whole endocrine system out of kilter and produces a huge list of damage.

Sugar is the main cause of diabetes, hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. It is either a significant or contributory cause of heart disease, arteriosclerosis, mental illness, depression, senility, hypertension, cancer.

These additives are some of the many reasons more and more people are turning to organic foods. Not everyone can afford the prices of organic foods but, being informed can make it easier to shop healthier.