Dangerous food additives you should know about

It’s no secret that a majority of foods found in chain grocery and big box retail stores contain dangerous  food additives. Perhaps the most disturbing part is these dangerous food additives are FDA-approved. The federal government is knowingly and willingly, selling us food tainted with chemicals that can have deadly consequences.

What’s in your food?

The FDA has approved over 3,000 substances that can be added to foods. These additives have many purposes: preservation, coloring, texture, scent, flavor and more. Remember, only ingredients that make up an approved percentage of the foods you purchase, are legally mandated to be listed in the nutrition facts.

While this makes it impossible to determine what exactly we’re consuming, it does allow us to view which dangerous food additives make up the highest percentage of foods.For example, if high fructose corn syrup is listed first, it more than likely comprises the highest percentage of the food’s composition.

Dangerous food additives

Every wonder what gives a grape lollipop its purple color? The food coloring that gives candy its color have been linked to cancer, tumors of the brain, thyroid, adrenal gland and kidney in animal studies. All processed foods contain additives, and reading through the ingredient list is liable to trigger flashbacks of organic chemistry.

Obviously, supplementing your diet with  fresh, whole foods is the most effective way to avoid dangerous food additives, but, assuming you do include some processed foods in your diet, the following additives are ones you want to stay away from. Look for them on ingredient labels and if one turns up, take a pass.

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 (see below).

BHA and BHT

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are used similarly to propyl gallate — to keep fats and oils from going rancid. Used commonly in cereals, chewing gum, vegetable oil and potato chips (and also in some food packaging to preserve freshness), these additives have been found by some studies to cause cancer in rats. If a brand you commonly buy uses these additives, look for a different variety, as not all manufacturers use these preservatives.

Food Additives and Your Brain:
Free e-Book

If you want to know more about the effects of food additives on your brain, check out this FREE 300+-page e-book “Neurotoxicity: Identifying and Controlling Poisons of the Nervous System.”

Some food additives are neurotoxic, which means they’re capable of altering the normal activity of the nervous system — and even killing neurons. Symptoms include:

Limb weakness or numbness
Loss of memory, vision, and intellect
Headache
Cognitive and behavioral problems
Sexual dysfunction
Potassium Bromate

This additive is used in breads and rolls to increase the volume and produce a fine crumb structure. Although most bromate breaks down into bromide, which is harmless, the bromate that does remain causes cancer in animals. Bromate has been banned throughout the world, except for in the United States and Japan. In California, a cancer warning would likely be required if it were used, which is why it is rarely used in that state.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG)

MSG is used as a flavor enhancer in many packaged foods, including soups, salad dressings, sausages, hot dogs, canned tuna, potato chips and many more. According to Dr. Russell Blaylock, an author and neurosurgeon, there is a link between sudden cardiac death, particularly in athletes, and excitotoxic damage caused by food additives like MSG and artificial sweeteners. Excitotoxins are, according to Dr. Blaylock, “A group of excitatory amino acids that can cause sensitive neurons to die.”

Many consumers have also personally experienced the ill effects of MSG, which leave them with a headache, nausea or vomiting after eating MSG-containing foods. To find out more about the side effects associated with MSG, as well as a complete list of which foods contain it, see our past article MSG: If it’s Safe: Why do They Disguise it on the Labels?

Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet)

This artificial sweetener is found in Equal and NutraSweet, along with products that contain them (diet sodas and other low-cal and diet foods). This sweetener has been found to cause brain tumors in rats as far back as the 1970s, however a more recent study in 2005 found that even small doses increase the incidence of lymphomas and leukemia in rats, along with brain tumors.

People who are sensitive to aspartame may also suffer from headaches, dizziness and hallucinations after consuming it.

Acesulfame-K

Acesulfame-K is an artificial sweetener that’s about 200 times sweeter than sugar. It’s used in baked goods, chewing gum, gelatin desserts and soft drinks. Two rat studies have found that this substance may cause cancer, and other studies to reliably prove this additive’s safety have not been conducted. Acesulfame-K also breaks down into acetoacetamide, which has been found to affect the thyroid in rats, rabbits and dogs.

Olestra

Olestra is a fat substitute used in crackers and potato chips, marketed under the brand name Olean. This synthetic fat is not absorbed by the body (instead it goes right through it), so it can cause diarrhea, loose stools, abdominal cramps and flatulence, along with other effects. Further, olestra reduces the body’s ability to absorb beneficial fat-soluble nutrients, including lycopene, lutein and beta-carotene.

Sodium Nitrite (Sodium Nitrate)

Like diet soda? The aspartame that’s used to sweeten it increases lymphomas, leukemia and brain tumors in rats — even in small doses.

Sodium nitrite (or sodium nitrate) is used as a preservative, coloring and flavoring in bacon, ham, hot dogs, luncheon meats, corned beef, smoked fish and other processed meats. These additives can lead to the formation of cancer-causing chemicals called nitrosamines.

Some studies have found a link between consuming cured meats and nitrite and cancer in humans.

Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil

The process used to make hydrogenated vegetable oil (or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil) creates trans fats, which promote heart disease and diabetes. The Institute of Medicine has advised that consumers should eat as little trans fat as possible. You should avoid anything with these ingredients on the label, which includes some margarine, vegetable shortening, crackers, cookies, baked goods, salad dressings, bread and more. It’s used because it reduces cost and increases the shelf life and flavor stability of foods.

Blue 1 and Blue 2

Blue 1, used to color candy, beverages and baked goods, may cause cancer. Blue 2, found in pet food, candy and beverages, has caused brain tumors in mice.

Red 3

This food coloring 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.

Yellow 6

As the third most often used food coloring, yellow 6 is found in many products, including backed goods, candy, gelatin and sausages. It has been found to cause adrenal gland and kidney tumors, and contains small amounts of many carcinogens.

Before your  next trip to the grocery store, research dangerous food additives, and make note of which foods to avoid. When possible, visit farmers markets, fresh produce stands and health-conscious chains such as Whole Foods and Trader Joes.

Dangerous food additives exist in virtually all packaged and processed foods. Also, chains like Wholefoods have been accused of promoting all-natural foods that are not what they seem. The only way to be sure you’re eating additive-free food, is by eating from the earth – for example: fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, legumes, nuts and organic free-range meats.