Let's Talk About Food Additives

Let's Talk About Food Additives

Hi friends,

I am a huge advocate of clean living and a healthy lifestyle, and I believe that to begin your journey you must have an understanding of the WHY. WHY eat clean and remove additives and chemicals from your diet? WHY put in the effort to make changes to your diet and routine? Every journey is unique. Some people gather knowledge and jump in headfirst while others may experience a seed being planted that slowly grows at a pace that is comfortable for them. So, let's have a conversation, what are food additives? How will you recognize them? What are some easy changes you can make to remove them from your daily life?

Let's start from the beginning, what are food additives and are they harmful?

Food additives are also referred to as food chemicals and are added to foods to enhance their flavor or appearance. They can also be preservatives, added to food with the purpose of extending the shelf life. Here's the kicker, some of these are naturally derived while others are man-made in a lab. For example, rosemary extract is a natural preservative that is safe to consume as well as everyone's favorite preservative, SALT! On the flip side we have BHT, a man-made preservative that is a known carcinogen (cancer causing compound). As you can see, some food additives and preservatives are totally safe and natural while others are dangerous and harmful. The more harmful ones are associated with a lot of troublesome symptoms and diseases such as brain hyperactivity, skin disorders such as hives and rashes, respiratory issues such as asthma and an imbalance of gut microbiota causing chronic inflammation. I could write an entire blog on just the effects that chronic inflammation has on the body, but you get the idea, NOT GOOD!

Now that you know what food additives and preservatives are, let's talk about some of the most common harmful ones so that you can easily start to recognize them on a food label. There is unfortunately quite a long list but let's talk about 5 of the more common ones you may see in your day-to-day life such as artificial colors, artificial sweeteners, partially hydrogenated oils, MSG and Nitrates/Nitrites.

Artificial colors are often referred to as "the rainbow of risks'' due to the myriad of symptoms they may cause. The ones to look out for are Red #40, Blue #1, Yellow #5 and Yellow #6. Red #40 specifically is linked to hyperactivity of the brain, especially in children while the others have been studied and linked to DNA damage and are known carcinogens. An interesting fact is that the food coloring's listed above are completely banned in Norway and Australia due to their harmful effects. In the EU food with red dye 40 requires a warning label that says, "May have adverse effects on activity and attention in children." You can find these potentially harmful additives in many different foods including candy, cereals, salad dressings and many other processed foods.

You may be familiar with artificial sweeteners such as Sucralose, Aspartame and Saccharin (also known as Splenda, Equal and Sweet N' Low) but are you familiar with their negative side effects? Weight gain, type 2 diabetes and cancer have been linked to these sweeteners due to major changes in gut microbiota which can lead to insulin resistance.

Hydrogenated oils are another very common food preservative that is added to lengthen the shelf life of a product. Hydrogenated oils are a trans-fat, not a healthy fat like mono-unsaturated fats. These trans-fats can raise your bad cholesterol levels while simultaneously lowering your good cholesterol levels. The FDA even made a statement that "partially hydrogenated oils are not generally recognized as safe" due to its link to heart disease. Foods that commonly have hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils in them are processed foods like chips, margarine, cookies and coffee creamers.

MSG which stands for monosodium glutamate is a highly controversial food additive due to its origin. It is a synthetic or man-made flavor enhancer, but it is made almost entirely out of glutamates which are found naturally in many foods such as mushrooms, cheese and seafood. Although these are found naturally in food, the concern is that MSG is modified in a laboratory making it highly concentrated and unnatural for the human body to process. The most common reactions known as "MSG symptom complex" include heart palpitations, sweating, nausea, headache and numbness. More in depth studies have found that long term ingestion of MSG has been linked to more serious issues such as obesity, damage to reproductive health and neurological toxicity. There are many ways MSG can be labeled on food and the most common are natural flavour, malt extract, seasonings and oligodextrin. The most common foods that have MSG in them are seasoning packets, Chinese food, soups and chips.

Nitrates/Nitrites also known as sodium nitrites are food preservatives that are commonly found in packaged and cured meat products such as lunch meat and salami. Nitrites are another example of something found originally in nature that was then altered in a lab. Nitrites are found naturally in many vegetables such as beets, celery and spinach but the ones added to packaged meats are manufactured synthetically in a lab and therefore react differently in the body. The main concern with nitrates is they may cause cell damage which is the precursor to disease. Nitrites are currently banned in Norway, Sweden, Canada and parts of Germany for the possibility of harmful effects. The good news is a lot of companies are removing nitrites from their products or are choosing to use naturally derived nitrites from plants instead!

The great news is that now that you have a basic understanding of what food additives and preservatives are you can start to implement ways to filter them out of your diet! There are several quick and easy changes you can make that will have a huge impact on the amount of exposure you have to these harmful substances. One sure fire way to avoid additives is to choose organic, especially when going for convenience foods on the shelf such as chips, cookies and dressings. USDA organic products are certified organic, and this means no harmful and artificial food additives or preservatives without having to dig through the label to find any loopholes or secret names a company may have come up with. If you're on the go and are used to grabbing quick snacks like chips or bars then try to replace those with unprocessed snacks such as nuts/seeds, fruit or hummus and carrots. Another game changer is learning to make more meals at home. Fast food is notorious for being loaded with all kinds of different food additives and preservatives so try and re-create your favorites in your own kitchen! If you're always on the go or short on time, take advantage of amazing kitchen items such as a crock pot so you can have dinner cooking while you're gone, plus it makes lots of leftovers which are great for meal prep. Remember when you're making lifestyle changes try to start with small and attainable goals, so you set yourself up for long-lasting success! Your health is a journey and a lifestyle, not a quick sprint! A good example of a small obtainable goal would be to cook two meals a week at home if you are someone who eats out or uses frozen food most nights. Another good one would be to bring healthy, unprocessed snacks with you twice a week to work instead of reaching for that doughnut or soda! You may even start to notice some amazing changes such as staying fuller longer due to blood sugar stability and maybe even natural weight loss or healthier cholesterol!

This is your health journey and now that you have some helpful knowledge under your belt the possibilities are endless! Will you water that seed now and make some obtainable goals that with consistency will lead to a healthier lifestyle or do you need time to digest, more knowledge or a helping hand before your seed is ready to be watered? There is no right or wrong answer as each journey is unique and beautiful! Whatever you decide, take a moment to be proud of yourself today for taking a step toward learning!

Reach out if you have any questions or are looking for that hand, my door is always open!

-Julia