Food Additives That Can Hurt You
Because of the way that food and food production has changed there are a lot of foreign substances in our food that wouldn’t be present naturally and many of these can be quite harmful to the human body which isn’t meant to be exposed to the high levels of toxins that we are constantly surrounded by. Some of these are displayed to the public as necessary things to put into our food to keep us safe but for the most part this simply isn’t true and much of this is simply propaganda used to encourage people to eat foods that wouldn’t even be qualified as food if they were in their natural state. Some of these chemicals are used as preservatives, others are colors added to make food look more appealing, and some are simply processed chemicals that transform basic ingredients like corn or soy into a variety of different products. Below I’ve listed a few of the more common and unpleasant ones that you should make an effort to avoid whenever you are out shopping or eating.
Caffeine is one of the most common ones we see and most of us now know that it’s something we should avoid. Caffeine is a drug and a stimulant as well, it can cause a host of problems and is commonly found in tea, coffee, and sodas which kids are known to drink quite often. Caffeine hikes up your blood pressure and increases the stomach-acid secretion while it also constricts some of your blood vessels. It’s mildly addictive and some people experience headaches or withdrawal symptoms when they stop drinking it. Excessive drinking of caffeine can cause a variety of problems and for the most part it should be avoided especially in excess.
Another scary one is Aspartame which for a long time was thought to be the answer to dieters problems with sugar but unfortunately there are a lot of problems with it. Excessive levels of this chemical in the blood stream can result in mental retardation and a small percentage of people are born without the ability to metabolize aspartame. It can cause headaches, dizziness, menstrual problems, fainting, and even seizures. There has also been some report of aspartame being link to the development of brain cancer. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not ingest it and it shouldn’t be given to infants or young children.
Another well known one is MSG which is found in a lot of oriental foods - particularly protein. It’s added to certain seasonings that are design to give flavor and unfortunately it can lead to some unpleasant symptoms. Consuming MSG can lead to headaches, tightness in the chest, burning sensations, and other scary effects. It’s recommended that you stay away from this substance if you suffer from asthma as it can make it even more difficult to breath. Be careful of restaurants that use certain vegetable protein because it can contain MSG.
These are just a few examples of food additives to watch out for but every little bit helps when it comes to information about your food.