10 Dangerous Food Additives to Avoid

Our food supply is loaded with dangerous food additives to avoid. The following 10 food additives have been linked to many debilitating health problems and diseases. Every single one of these dangerous food additives can be avoided by simply choosing whole foods.

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

Over the last couple decades, HFCS has slowly replaced sugar in our diets. Corn subsidies and tariffs on sugar are just a couple of the reasons why high fructose corn syrup is cheaper to produce. HFCS is widely used in processed foods as a sweetener. Unfortunately, high consumption of fructose causes an increase in triglycerides, blood pressure, and inflammation markers [1].

Enriched Flour

Enriched flour is processed flour that has had the bran and germ removed. In doing so, it strips the grain of nutrients. Food manufacturers then try to replace those nutrients by fortifying the food. The problem? Enriched flour is a refined starch that can wreak havoc on your blood sugar. On top of that, many enriched flours are also bleached.

Artificial Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners have caused more confusion than just about any other food. Are they OK to eat? Do they cause cancer? Is Stevia natural or artificial? For every study showing a link to cancer, there is another one showing a lack of clear evidence. Your best bet is to avoid such an unproven food product. It took decades to show a clear link to cancer for some sweeteners. Do you really want to take a chance on another new and unproven one?

Hydrogenated Oils

Hydrogenating oils is the process of adding hydrogen to unsaturated fats. In doing so, they become saturated. Hydrogenated oils are still being used in vast quantities to give better consistency to foods, and to improve shelf-lives. Among other negative side effects, trans fats have been linked to an increased risk of coronary artery disease [3]. Read the food label ingredients. Just because it says 0 grams of fat, it doesn’t mean there are no hydrogenated oils. The FDA allows anything under .5 grams to be reported as a zero. Read carefully.

Nitrates/Nitrites

Nitrites are used heavily as a food additive to help preserve meats. They also change the color and taste of the food. Some will argue that nitrites are naturally occurring in food. While this may be true in some cases, the whole foods that contain the nitrites naturally also have antioxidants that prevent the formation of nitrosamines. Nitrosamines are the real killers. Nitrate ingestion has been linked to impaired thyroid function, vitamin A and E metabolism interference, and reduced brain activity [4].

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

MSG is used as a flavor enhancer in foods. The bad news is that MSG is not clearly labeled on food packaging. MSG is hidden in many foods. Many times “natural flavor” is used to identify glutamic acid, which is very similar to MSG. Animals treated with MSG developed brain lesions, caused stunted skeletal development and weight gain, and disrupted the neural centers responsible for hormone function [5].

Artificial Colors and Flavors

Artificial colors and flavors are used by food manufacturers to add visual appeal, taste, and smell to foods. By combining certain chemicals together, “chemists” can create a near endless variety of flavors. Anything on a label that says artificial should be avoided, and if you see a color such as blue, red, or yellow, avoid those too. Artificial colors and flavors promote hyperactivity in children and may be a leading cause of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [6].

Pesticides

Pesticides are applied to our food for obvious reasons, but many people don’t realize just how much of these pesticides make it into our bodies from our food supply – even whole foods. It’s estimated that the average person has had 5 pounds of pesticides used on their food every year. That’s a lot of pesticides, and if even just a little bit of that 5 pounds is ingested, the side effects can be detrimental. You can limit your pesticide exposure by choosing organic foods.

Benzoate Preservatives (BHA/BHT)

BHA is used in food to help prevent oils from going rancid. BHT is “reasonably anticipated to be a carcinogen” by many organizations and states (California), and is also used to produce fuel, petroleum products, and embalming fluid. BHA has been shown to grow cancer cells, and contributes to ADHD symptoms [6] [7].

Olestra

Olestra is used as a fat substitute in food products. It’s calorie free, and passes through the body undigested. In doing so, it takes important fat soluble vitamins with it. Olestra reduces tissue concentrations of fat soluble vitamins [8]. It also causes many digestive problems such as diarrhea, bloating, and anal leakage. I’d say it’s best to avoid.

MUST USE FITNESS DEVICE: BodyMedia FIT Calorie Tracking Armband
FREE EBOOK: The 10 Forgotten Rules of Weight Loss

sally

Yep have known about the first nine for years, the tenth is a newcomer but I know of it.
To be fair most of these poisons are in convenience ( junk ) food, or found in foods grown using non sustainable unsound agricultural methods……………….. best advice……………….. avoid it all.
Gail Coffey

Could I please have this article in a printable format? I would really appreciate it! Thank you so much for this valuable information!!!

Gail Coffey
Kay Bowers

upon consumming one paticular artificial sweetner and getting severe headaches after each use, I asked my dr. about the ingrediants. It seems that this sweetner and so far only this one caused me to react this way and it contains silicon dioxide. He said that translates as “glass particles” and is the non-caking agent. I now look for this ingredient in all artificial sweetners. Last year, after having an MRI run on my 10 yr old son because of migrains, I along with his pediatrician have tracked his migrains to coincide with the consumption of MSG. He loved roman noodles and chicken nuggets with gravey at school. (Hormel Chili is also full of MSG and he loves his chili dogs ) Both of which are full of MSG. The Diatican at school gave me a list of all the foods containing MSGs and it was so long that he now takes his lunch to school. I also no longer fix him the roman noodles he loves so. He did not have to go on migrain medication and is doing better.
- Kasey Weaver
  
  I was having severe problems with fluctuating blood pressure, head aches for a time. They came on suddenly when I had gone to a physician about weight loss and had started using medifast. We eased back into a regular food diet, but the blood pressure problems and headaches persisted. I was checked for pheochromocytoma, a tumor that will develop on adrenal glands and cause the blood pressure issues. That was fine. Every scan or test was fine. Finally, we tracked down the culprit…the artificial sweetener called nutrasweet. In my quest to lose weight, I was eating alot more “diet” foods and drinks that had the sweetener in them. I cut out the sweetener and immediately the problem ended.
http://gethealthygenesis.com Wendy Bottrell

Good reminder! Thanks for the info
Colleen Bijl

So what is the best type of flour to use, I make bread in my bread machine and I use bread flour and for other things I use unbleached flour, are these ok to use or should we always only use whole wheat flour and is that safe?
- http://www.facebook.com/annefirby Anne Hall
  
  Read the book “Wheat Belly” and you’ll know the answer.
http://www.missfitnesslife.com Vix- Miss Fitness Life

Great Post! Its shocking how much of these chemicals are now in everyday foods. The best way to avoid all these terrible additives and to get into shape is to eat clean food.
http://www.truth2beingfit.com Jody – Fit at 54

UGH! We have to be on our toes always – I know a lot but not anywhere near what I need to know!
Kathryn

Thank you so much for posting this! I have converted to clean eating, but I am still learning a lot everyday. One of the things I was unsure of, was what ingrediants are okay and what aren’t. This helps so much, thank you! Your page is fantastic, I follow it all the time, and look forward to your posts! Keep up the good work!
Georgia

The problem in Ireland is they don’t have to list what all the ingredients are they put in the food so some times you really don’t know what your getting, so it’s better to look for key words like Artificial sweeteners, emulsifiers, stabilizers or nearly every thing that’s gone through a process. It should be made government policy to list every ingredient in our foods and make people more aware what damage all these additives do, I’m going to like this article and share. Thanks again for a great read.