Lingering In Your Pantry: 5 Toxic Additives & Preservatives
When it comes to choosing foods, we all know what’s generally considered “healthy” versus what is not. But when given the choice, many still don’t understand exactly why they should opt for “organic”, or the “cleaner” brand.
With these words getting thrown around a lot, what do these actually mean?
And more importantly, why is it important for not just your own, but your family’s health?
This is going to focus particularly on children and the common foods they tend to consume in the form of snacks, sweets, & other “junk foods”. Just because they’re kids, you may want to cut them some slack and let them eat what they want. I get it. Once in a while, we all need a treat.
But the reason why it’s imperative that we understand exactly what’s in the foods that are geared at & target kids, is because at a young age, we are most vulnerable to the negative effects of poor nutrition, toxins, chemicals, & other substances foreign to our body.
Let’s brainstorm some of the most well-liked & commonly consumed foods when it comes to kids.
What comes to mind? Chips, candy, cookies, pop, soda, whatever you want to call it. Fast foods like McDonalds, pizza, boxed mac and cheese. Breakfast staples? Cereal, poptarts, waffles, etc. What do all of these have in common? Not only are these often high in fat, sugar, and are generally pro-inflammatory, but they all contain some type of additive, preservative, or otherwise chemical that can damage your child’s health for life. For life. Think about that! Kids’ bodies are especially vulnerable as they are in the stages of development and continuous growth. So if you think spending a couple of bucks more on a product is “a waste of money”, think again. Don’t put a price tag on your own or your child’s health. Phew, rant over.
Obviously, home-cooked meals, and wholesome, fresh foods are the best alternative. But if you must have store-bought faves, swap for better alternatives & opt for the brands with products that don’t contain any of the following offenders :
1) High-Fructose Corn Syrup: This one comes as no surprise. You’ve heard it before. Aside from the fact that it’s “empty calories” & provides no nutritional value whatsoever, high-fructose corn syrup also contributes to weight gain, fueling childhood obesity, inflammation, & the diseases associated with both of these, such as early onset diabetes, high cholesterol, and liver disease (Cleveland Clinic, 2020).
2) Titanium Dioxide: This recently made the news, and for good reason. The company behind skittles, Mars Inc. had a lawsuit on their hands when their products were deemed “not suitable for consumption” because they contained titanium dioxide (Peachman, 2022). As a matter of fact, some of the most popular sweets & snacks beloved by many kids contain this as an ingredient. What exactly is the issue with that? Well, first of all, the fact that the FDA has turned a blind eye. Second, that titanium dioxide has been instigated in potentially contributing to cancer through changes in DNA, among other things such as generalized inflammation, a poor immune system, and organ damage (Myers, 2022). How’s that for a controversy?
3) Artificial Food Coloring: A juice box, some gummy bears, cereal anyone? All of these contain artificial food coloring, which can cause and/or contribute to ADHD in kids, cause other behavioral and developmental issues, and even worsen asthma and/or allergies. So anytime you see FD&C yellow #5, 6, Red #3, 40, Blue #1,2, or Green #3, don’t walk, run (Cleveland Clinic, 2020; McCarthy, 2021; Myers, 2022).
4) BHA/BHT: Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are two additives that have been courteously “excused” from the FDA’s ban list, deemed as “generally safe”. But then why have reputable sources come out and classified them as carcinogenic (cancer-causing), and potentially harmful to reproductive and hormonal health? (Myers, 2022, Sciammacco, 2014). And in case you wanted to know what these are commonly added to, in an effort to preserve products longer, double-check the labels on cereals, muffins/cakes, cured meats, & really anything that seems to have a suspiciously long shelf-life but wouldn’t last longer than a few days if homemade.
5) Nitrates/nitrites: You may have heard of these before. These are common additives in cured & deli meats to enhance color and preserve shelf life. The problem is, there is substantial research that these contribute to increased rates of different types of cancer, tumors, disrupt thyroid function, and can even interfere with oxygen delivery to parts of the body (McCarthy, 2021; Myers, 2022; Trasande et al., 2018).
Cleveland Clinic. (2020). Avoid the hidden dangers of high fructose corn syrup. Avoid the Hidden Dangers of High Fructose Corn
Cleveland Clinic (2020). 5 Food additives you should avoid. 5 Food Additives You Should Avoid – Cleveland Clinic McCarthy, C. (2021). Common food additives and chemicals harmful to children. Common food additives and chemicals
harmful to children - Harvard Health Myers, I. (2022). Cereal offenders: Potentially harmful ingredients in ‘healthy’ breakfast food. Cereal offenders: potentially harmful
ingredients in ‘healthy’ breakfast food | Environmental Working Group (ewg.org) Myers, I. (2022). EWG’s dirty dozen guide to food chemicals: The top 12 to avoid. EWG’s Dirty Dozen Guide to Food Chemicals: The top
12 to avoid | Environmental Working Group Sciammacco, S. (2014). New guide warns of ‘Dirty Dozen’ food additives. New Guide Warns of ‘Dirty Dozen’ Food Additives |
Environmental Working Group Trasande, L., et al. (2018). Food additives and child health. Food Additives and Child Health | Pediatrics | American Academy of
Comments