| How often do you actually check the labels of | | | | Sometimes foods that claim to include healthy |
| foods you buy, including all the little extra words | | | | ingredients actually do not have them, or only |
| you cannot pronounce? The reality is, shopping | | | | have them in small amounts. Take, for example, |
| would take hours if we did. | | | | the strawberry yogurt with no strawberries. The |
| What is in our food that we unknowingly "indulge | | | | Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) |
| in" everyday? | | | | recently asked the FDA to immediately stop |
| To be honest with you, you might not want to | | | | misleading food labels. Another misguidance are |
| read this. This stuff always makes me depressed | | | | so-called wholegrain products that are mostly |
| and then angry. Why can't we just have "clean" | | | | made from regular white flour with only very little |
| food on our plate? Basic, great, healthy | | | | wholegrain. They often contain high-fructose corn |
| good-tasting food. Why is that so hard? | | | | syrup as well, which makes them rather unhealthy |
| Well the good news is, we can. But it does mean | | | | instead of healthy. |
| staying away from packaged food, and maybe | | | | "Food manufacturers are shamelessly tricking |
| even learning how to cook. And you do need to | | | | consumers who are trying to eat more fruits, |
| keep up the job of mindful attention when | | | | vegetables, and whole grains," said CSPI Director |
| choosing your food. | | | | of Legal Affairs, Bruce Silverglade. "Too many |
| To help you with that, please read on. | | | | processed foods contain only token amounts of |
| Food additives are legal, but do you want them? | | | | the healthful ingredients highlighted on labels and |
| In the U.S., about 3000 additives can be used | | | | are typically loaded with fats, refined sugars, |
| legally in our foods. They are used for food | | | | refined flour, and salt, in various combinations." |
| preservation, coloring, texture, increasing taste, | | | | Which are the toxins? |
| and so on. | | | | The food colorings that make candy pretty colors |
| Avoiding processed and packaged food is of | | | | have been linked to cancer and tumors of the |
| course the easiest way to omit these unwanted | | | | brain, thyroid, adrenal gland, and kidneys in animal |
| "extras". That not only means choosing whole | | | | studies. |
| foods, but also staying mindful of the pesticides | | | | Blue 1, used to color candy, beverages, and baked |
| and fertilizers used in non-organic foods. And yes, | | | | goods, may cause cancer. Blue 2, found in pet |
| it is a bother to have to pay attention to all of | | | | food, candy, and beverages, has caused brain |
| this, I agree. Unfortunately, with our | | | | tumors in mice. |
| overconsumption comes production, and with that | | | | Red 3 is a food coloring used in cherries (fruit |
| comes all the extras to keep yield up for the | | | | cocktails), baked goods, and candy. It causes |
| food manufacturers. That's also why supporting | | | | thyroid tumors in rats, which means it may do so |
| local farmers is a really good idea, as is insisting on | | | | in humans as well. |
| organic produce as much as possible. | | | | Yellow 6 is the third most often used food |
| One of the most important things to know first is | | | | coloring, and is found in many products, including |
| how to read the nutrition label. Be mindful of | | | | backed goods, candy, gelatin, and sausages. It has |
| serving sizes. Most packaged food contains more | | | | been found to cause adrenal gland and kidney |
| than one serving size but the label only gives you | | | | tumors, and contains small amounts of many |
| the nutritional information for one serving. Often | | | | carcinogens. M&Ms anyone? |
| we think one muffin or one bagel is one serving. | | | | Food preservatives and additives. |
| This isn't always the case. A regular sized muffin | | | | Propyl gallate is used to prevent fats and oils |
| is actually two servings and most bagels are | | | | from spoiling and might cause cancer. It is used in |
| more than two servings. (And that's without the | | | | vegetable oil, meat products, potato sticks, |
| topping.) | | | | chicken soup base, chewing gum, and is often |
| The ingredients. | | | | used with BHA and BHT. |
| Ingredients are listed in descending order, so what | | | | BHA and BHT - butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) |
| there is most of comes first. Often that also | | | | and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), are also |
| means that all the little additions come toward the | | | | used to keep fats and oils from going rancid. It's |
| end of the label. Many people will have stopped | | | | often used in cereals, chewing gum, vegetable oil, |
| reading by then and miss them. Ingredients that | | | | and potato chips, and can also be found in some |
| make up less than 2 percent can be listed in any | | | | food packaging to preserve freshness. |
| order after the heading "contains less than 2 | | | | Potassium bromate is used in breads and rolls to |
| percent of the following." | | | | increase the volume and produce the fine crumb |
| Other ingredients called incidental additives don't | | | | structure. Although most bromate breaks down |
| even have to be listed on labels. They're the | | | | into bromide, which is harmless, the bromate that |
| substances that come into the food from the | | | | does remain causes cancer in animal studies. |
| packaging and ingredients of other ingredients that | | | | Bromate has been banned throughout the world, |
| are present at "insignificant levels and have no | | | | except for in the United States and Japan. In |
| technical or functional effect". Yes, it's scary. | | | | California, a cancer warning would likely be |
| Natural and artificial flavors are also often grouped | | | | required if it were used, which is why it rarely is in |
| together under one name. The manufacturers do | | | | that state. |
| not have to disclose what "artificial flavors" really | | | | Aspartame is in Equal and NutraSweet and the |
| means unless it's a food containing a major food | | | | products that contain them, such as diet sodas |
| allergen. These would include milk, eggs, peanuts, | | | | and other low-cal and diet foods. It's been found |
| tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat, and the | | | | to cause brain tumors in rats as far back as the |
| food ingredients containing the proteins derived | | | | 1970s. A study in 2005 found that even small |
| from these. | | | | doses increase the incidence of lymphomas and |
| Even worse, the statement "all natural" has no | | | | leukemia in rats, along with brain tumors. People |
| nutritional meaning. They can indeed include | | | | who are sensitive to aspartame may also suffer |
| unnatural ingredients. It's actually not required by | | | | from headaches, dizziness, and hallucinations after |
| law to have unnatural ingredients and still be called | | | | consuming it. Why is this still in our food, I |
| all natural. How messed up is that? | | | | wonder? |
| What does "free from" really mean? | | | | Olestra is a fat substitute used in crackers and |
| It actually might just mean that there's less than | | | | potato chips, marketed under the brand name |
| 0.5 grams per serving because the food | | | | Olean. This synthetic fat is not absorbed by the |
| manufacturer may round down to zero. Not to | | | | body (instead it goes right through it), so it can |
| mention that you might eat more than one | | | | cause diarrhea, loose stools, abdominal cramps, |
| serving of something, as well as the fact that it is | | | | and flatulence, among other symptoms. |
| adding up over time too. | | | | Furthermore, olestra reduces the body's ability to |
| This is the same issue with transfat and partially | | | | absorb beneficial fat-soluble nutrients, including |
| hydrogenated oil. If it is less than 0.5 in one | | | | lycopene, lutein, and beta-carotene. |
| serving it is still listed as having no transfat. Yes, | | | | Sodium nitrite (or sodium nitrate) is used as a |
| they are deceiving us. | | | | preservative, coloring, and flavoring in bacon, ham, |
| What's in a name? | | | | hot dogs, cold cuts, corned beef, smoked fish, |
| Food manufacturers can use other names on a | | | | and other processed meats. These additives can |
| label so that we cannot recognize what's really in | | | | lead to the formation of cancer-causing chemicals |
| there. For example, if you're trying to avoid MSG, | | | | called nitrosamines. Some studies have found a |
| you need to look for all of the following terms, as | | | | link between consuming cured meats and nitrite |
| they all contain MSG: autolyzed yeast, calcium | | | | with cancer in humans. |
| caseinate, gelatin, glutamate, glutamic acid, | | | | There is one easy thing you can do about it is: |
| hydrolyzed protein, monopotassium glutamate, | | | | avoid packaged and processed food and consider |
| monosodium glutamate, modium caseinate, | | | | if it is the quality of food we really want and need |
| textured protein, yeast extract, yeast food, and | | | | or is it just out of convenience. |
| yeast nutrient. | | | | "There are probably things in our lives from which |
| Misleading ingredient claims. | | | | we could unburden ourselves. |