ADSactly Awareness - Why There Are Hidden Harmful Chemicals In Your Food 2
WHY THERE ARE HIDDEN HARMFUL CHEMICALS IN OUR FOOD 2
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In the first article, I mentioned that certain harmful substances are present in our food in the form of food preservatives, food additives and food contaminants. The reason for this awareness about food is to help the rate at which people, consume chemicals in food. There is a toxic level for each food substance, this means there is a level to which we can consume some chemicals, before it begins to affect our body system negatively. Since we can not always check toxic levels, we can learn about some chemicals in foods and reduce our intake of such food substances or avoid them. Lets read more about other food additives, below are some other food additives present in food :
ANTI-CAKING AGENTS
These are substances or chemicals added to food to prevent lumps in them. You know how you can easily get pissed if you notice your salt, flour or any powdery food substance caking after a while, so anti- caking agents is the chemical remedy for this. There are two types of anti-caking agents, artificial and natural anticaking agents. An example of a natural anti- caking agent is kaolin (E559). However, most anti-caking agents are made from synthetic substances such as silicon dioxide or magnesium and calcium stearates . For instance, Calcium silicate (CaSiO3), is a common anti-caking agent which is added to table salt to of course prevent it from lumps. So in essence, packaged salts and some other powdery food substances may not necessarily be from natural sources only. Some anti-caking agents are however harmful in large doses.
E515(potassium sulphate) an anti-caking agent used in beer, pharmaceuticals and salt substitutes is known to cause gastrointestinal bleeding, in large doses.
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EMULSIFIERS
Food emulsifiers are substances that act as an interface between components of food like water and oil. During food manufacturing, parts of food have to mix without separation, parts of food especially oil, fat and water, this is why emulsifiers are used. Some examples of emulsifiers are Egg Yolk, lecithin, Soy lecithin, PolyGlycerol Ester (PGE), Sorbitan Ester (SOE), Monoglyceride (MG), Acetylated Monoglyceride (AMG) Lactylated Monoglyceride (LMG).
Emulsifiers found in a variety of processed foods in large quantities can damage the intestine, leading to inflammation or tissue damage.
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HUMECTANTS
Humectants are food additives that act as moisturizers by attracting water into a food product. They are often used to prevent food substances from drying out. Sorbitol and citric acid synthesized from dextrose are often used as humectants.
However if more than 15 grams per serving is consumed, side effects which includes abdominal cramping, diarrhea or abdominal bloating may occur. You see why you need to reduce taking soda and nutrition bars?
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STABILIZERS
Stabilizers are food additives that help food substances retain their physical characteristics when added to food. When added to food items, they smoothen the texture of the food & give a definite body to the food. Food stabilizers are added in relatively small amount which supports the effect of emulsifiers by holding together ingredients bound by emulsifiers. Examples include Alginic acid,Carrageenan,gelatin,Pectin or calcium chloride are also used as food stabilizers in dairy products.
Side effects however, result from large doses, they include flatulence, bloating and nausea.
Stabilizers can also be present as gluten in the body. Gluten is wheat protein and wheat protein is known to be responsible for negative effects and intolerance in the health of most people.
Nutrient-drug interactions also occur in consumers of gluten stabilizers using drugs such as anticoagulants, anti biotics and anti-hypertensive drugs. So always confirm with your doctor before using drugs, sometimes what is contained in your diet may interfere with your drugs.
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ARTIFICIAL SWEETNERS FOR EXAMPLE ASPARTAME AND SACCHARIN.
These sweetners are usually found in sugar free products but their side effects are worse than that of sugar.
They are regarded as carcinogens. carcinogens mean that they can lead to cancer.They are neurotoxic as well, this means that they can affect the memory, cause short term loss or total loss of memory .They are found in sugar-free gum, table top sweetners, some toothpaste. Saccharins have been banned and campaigned against over the years.
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MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE
This is a rather common food additive which is dangerous to the health as well,it is an amino acid used to enhance and increase flavours especially in the production of spices. Regular consumption of this may however result in eye problems, weight gain or even depression . This additive is found in seasonings all over the world and food spices.
Headache, numbness, chest pain and sweating may be experienced after eating foods containing MSG in large doses.
It is therefore best to know what foods contain MSG so you can reduce your exposure. Same goes for other food additives.
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CARAMEL
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This is a coloring agent and can be sourced by heating sugar at high temperature for a while. Caramel sounds harmless but unfortunately It has been linked to vitamin b6 deficiencies and is linked even to cancer. Caramel is found in chocolates,biscuits and even candies.
Truly some of these chemicals and additives mentioned above can be beneficial, but have you weighed in on how much hidden and slow damages this is causing at the same time? You may not be told this by manufacturing companies, but it is rather essential that you know what the food substance you are ingesting contains and if you can, reduce your daily intake of packaged foods or canned food substances.
Another avenue harmful substances can get into food is through food contaminants.Yes, food sometimes gets contaminated through its journey from farm to fork.
WHAT ARE FOOD CONTAMINANTS?
Food contaminants are substances which most times accidentally find their way into food products. It could be from the farm, while raw materials are transported,during processing, or while finished products are transported. Contaminants can be from the soil or car exhausts which contains carbon or metals.
Herbicides and pesticides are also contamination sources. People can be exposed to metals such as mercury, arsenic, cadmium, or lead by ingesting contaminated food and its accumulation in the body over time can be harmful.
Food poisoning is a repercussion of food contaminants, it is a case that can be caused by eating food or drinks contaminated with harmful bacteria or eating food contaminated with chemicals called toxins.
Food poisoning can also occur either by ingesting contaminants as mentioned above or by ingesting chemical toxins. Examples of such toxin is afflatoxins found in grains.
You know you have ingested contaminants if after eating you begin to feel stomach upset, nauseated , fever and the urge to vomit.
Although, food manufacturing industries however try to avoid contaminants by using different safety measures such as, metal detectors, grain destoners, afflatoxins detectors and so on but sometimes, marketing conditions or the conditions in which food products are stored are favorable for the infestation of contaminants.
The worst part is that, you may never be able to tell that a food product is contaminated until you have opened it or even ingested it. We have to be vigilant with food and be label aware. Harmful substances in foods may not come as harmful, some come as normal ingredients and as part of the food. Some contaminants can not be seen with the physical eyes. It is important to be aware of the components of foods before we consume it, if there are particular parts of the ingredient label we do not understand or are not sure of we should avoid such food.
I'm personally a picky eater and I like to know what is in a food substance before I eat it, my friends think I'm weird when I sometimes inspect food, but in a way weird is good.
Other substances which are secretly harmful are added to our foods in a bid to improve its quality,they will be mentioned in my next article. Remember to always check the ingredient label and eat safe!
Authored by: @ponmile
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Thank you!
This is fantastic as you have highlighted all important additives to look in our food. In my locality potato snacks are being marketed heavily and all of them have anti caking agents so I am looking to make an article on it to create awareness.
AJ picked your post @adsactly for his #TOP5 FOOD POST. Visit AJ's FOOD ROUNDUP to view where your post is ranked.
The amount of harmful chemicals in our food is shocking! Food manufacturing companies are not stupid, they have highly educated people working for them, so it begs the question... are they doing it intentionally? I think the main goal is to cut costs, preserve food so they don't have to throw it away, make it more attractive, taste better and make it more addictive! So bottom line is, as always, money!
Thank u very much about this rich content
I agree! Always important to take this into account before purchasing foods that you will eventually ingest into your body.
There are many food additives that are terribly bad for us. Here is another one, I think worth mentioning: www.thedailymeal.com/news/common-foods-and-drinks.../103014 This lists some foods with Propylene Glycol. It's shocking that Anti Freeze is now added to some baked goods, and even in Beneful Dog Food. It's not in Cat Food as it is highly toxic to cats. Years ago, we had a Vietnamese friend who came out camping. He made a Fish Head Soup. Fish Heads, red peppers, a few good spices etc. It was just delicious!
A few years later, another Vietnamese friend came out camping. We asked him to make a fish head soup. He was in the process of making the soup, and started off the same way as our other friend. Then, he pulled a bag out and started to pour this crystal from a bag into the soup. We asked him what THAT was and he said, 'Oh, just some MSG.' We told him to stop, and that we wouldn't be eating that soup. We ended up burning the whole pot of soup. We found this unbelievable! We really need to read ALL labels when buying packaged food. But, best not to buy packaged food. It really is all Chemicals!
I think it is so important to create this awareness. The majority of us are not taking the time to truly educate ourselves about the foods we eat. We are a society of people looking for quick meals and convenient foods. Many of hear foods are highly processed and full of all the stuff you’re talking about here. Even those of us who think we are very aware and careful are often guilty of not truly knowing what a “bad” or “harmful” ingredient looks like. To top it all off we are feeding these food to our children at a higher rate. The statement about how our bodies are able to consume a certain amount of these chemicals until they become harmful is alarming. The fact that good producers or regulators feel that there is a tolerance level on things that quite frankly have no place in our foods at all blows me away. I know that I myself need to do a better job. Articles like this are a great step in the right direction. Education and then action.
You are right..sometimes we think we know but we don't know
This is a great post @adsactly! It's a great wake-up for me about the importance of really knowing what exactly our food contains. I grew up in a country town in the 70's: We had chickens and an extensive vegetable garden. My mum bought flour and made our bread and we ate reasonably healthily. As kids we weren't even allowed to drink Coke a Cola. Not only did we eat healthily we bonded as a family whilst feeding chickens and planting, tending or harvesting our garden. It was a good life and a fantastic upbringing. I can't complain.
Fast forward and life gets busy so we're all out there eating on the run and consuming who knows what!
I'm diabetic and so carefully watch my sugar and carbohydrate intake however my understanding of other food additives as mentioned in your post is sadly lacking. I write to thank you for your post and for bringing me some heightened awareness. Greatly appreciated.
Packaged foods are already nothing but poison. I can't really understand why people are still consuming these, are they ever reading the INGREDIENTS section?... The real problem we have here is these greedy corporations are poisoning the soil itself where anything we eat and drink comes from. We, unfortunately, live on a planet where Monsanto is the good guy, where a man who genetically modified the wheat (thus skyrocketed diseases like diabetes) receives a Nobel Prize for his efforts (which is alone enough to not take The Nobel Committee seriously). Sad.
Good job. I like the fact that you continue to inform readers about the composition of many food products. Some people do not think that they can eat dangerous food for their health. Therefore, I will not stop talking - "Warned - it means armed"
How to say that any product is useful if you have it right. That is, you need to observe the measure of consumption of any food. Even ordinary water can harm the body if you drink a lot of it.
Therefore, it is so important to know about the composition of the products we face every day. After all, your ignorance in the future can play with you a cruel joke.
But the minus of products with preservatives and harmful additives is that they are cheap. That is, these "chemical" products are cheaper than natural. What are the consequences of this? The consequences are that they are bought by the poor. So these people are exposed to the risks of various diseases. Unfortunately the truth is as follows.
Therefore, one of the advantages of living in rural areas can be called - the possibility of brewing natural agricultural products. I think that every year the population of the planet increases. Therefore, "chemistry" in food will increasingly become the norm.
To grow food faster - manufacturers constantly use various harmful fertilizers. And they affect the product in a negative way.
Conclusion - own information and eat "clean" products. Be healthy.
Yes living in the rural area has its advantages.....fresh food :)
Thanks for your addition
As much as possible we must avoid eating this kind of food or else we will end up having Urinary Track Infection (UTI) which leads to dialysis (worst case). 😔
That is why is best to eat all natural foods and of course get in habit on eating ur veggies :))