Breakfast Of Champions

In December, last year, my wife and I decided to see how our bodies would react to an all plant base diet. We had already stopped consuming meat with the exception of fish so all we had to do was cut out the dairy. That’s a difficult task! Milk and/or eggs have managed to be inserted into just about everything we consume since the agricultural revolution of the 19th century.

Consequently, we’ve been paying more attention to the labeled ingredients on the food items we consume. I’m that guy in the market, turning everything around, reading the back of the packages pretending I can pronounce those words. I often get stumped reading the ingredients which means one thing - I’m oblivious to their existence. Then I grabbed a box of Apple Jacks. I turned the box around to verify wether or not they’re attempting to sneak dairy products passed me and that was the first time I noticed it: Contains BHA. I know, I know... I’m the last person to pull up a chair at this discovery table but at least I finally made it - Thanks for saving me a seat! So what is it?

Question: What is BHA/BHT?
Answer: The chemical used to preserve both your bowl of cereal and the fuel in the gas tank of your automobile:

source
”Breakfast Of Champions”

Kellogg’s is the biggest supporter of the preservative where nearly all of their boxed/bagged cereal contains BHA, BHT or both. Right behind them are Post and General Mills - All three of the food giants currently support and are actively using the petroleum based preservative.

Cereals that contain BHA, BHT or both:
Frosted Flakes, Cheerios, Fruit Loops, Apple Jacks, Wheaties, Shredded Wheat, Rice Krispies, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Raisin Bran are some of the more popular brand-name cereals but do your due diligence. These preservatives have found a home in many shelved items sold at the grocery market and are predominately found in cereal. Just look for the key word “freshness” (freshness?) on the ‘warning’ label:

source

That was the first time I noticed the ingredient, I didn’t know what it was. I decided it’s time to find out - This is what I discovered:

BHA and BHT are preservatives commonly referred to in the food industry as:
BHA: Bad, Horrible, Awful.
BHT: Bad, Horrible, Terrible.

Official, scientific terminology, as recorded by the Food and Drug Administration, reads like this:
BHA - Butylated Hydroxyanisole.
BHT - Butylated Hydroxytoluene.

source

Butylated:
Definition: To introduce one or more groups to a “butyl” compound.
Butyl: General chemical formula derived from either of the two isomers of butane.
Ok! Butane, I recognize that word, it’s a flammable liquid. Isomers are a scientific term relating to atoms so the ‘B’ in BHT and BHA means, in the simplest of explanations: Scientifically created lighter fluid - Got it!

Hydroxy:
Definition: Containing the “hydroxyl group.”
Hydroxyl Group: Inorganic compound such as Sodium Hydroxide or organic compounds such as ethyl alcohol.
Sodium Hydroxide: Water-soluble solid that upon solution in water generates heat.
Ok! Hydroxy is an alcohol that keeps things warm/hot - Got it!

Anisole:
Colorless, water-insoluble liquid that has a pleasant, aromatic flavor.
It disguises the odor of the chemicals - Got it!

Toluene:
Colorless, water-insoluble, flammable liquid having a benezenlike odor.
Benzene: Flammable liquid with a sweet odor. Obtained mainly from petroleum, most commonly found in TNT. (Dynamite)
Ok! The chemical that disguises the odor of gasoline and causes firecrackers to ignite the way they do - Got it!

source

Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA): Petroleum based, scientifically created lighter fluid that uses alcohol as a warming agent with an aromatic flavor used to disguise the odors of active chemicals.

Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT): Petroleum based, scientifically created lighter fluid that uses alcohol as a warming agent, is the explosive chemical in dynamite and disguises the odor of fuels/oils with a “sweet flavor:”

source - iPhone 8 plus

BHA: Used as a preservative in food, cosmetics, feed, rubbers, pharmaceuticals and petroleum.

BHT: Derivative of phenol, commonly used to prevent oxidation in fuels/oils.

Common sense teaches us not to consume anything that comes out of a gas pump, gas can, oil container, drain pan or something else who’s sole purpose is to facilitate petroleum. We do, however, come in contact and in most situations, consume the petroleum based preservative by eating cereal or crackers, applying make-up, wearing rubber gloves, taking medication or feeding the animals.

Why? Why is BHA and BHT in our beer, chewing gum, processed meat, crackers, animal feed, butter, baked goods, lotion, shower gel, Children’s Advil, cosmetics, dehydrated potatoes, cereals and pharmaceuticals to name a few?

source

Money - Profit. BHA and BHT are preservatives that extend the shelf life of the product they’re introduced to at a much higher profit rate for corporations than a natural preservative that will serve the same function such as Vitamin E. If there was less labor involved in the production required to extract Vitamin E, corporations would use the natural source to preserve the shelf life of their product instead of harmful chemical compounds.

Side effects? Are there any known side effects of BHA and BHT?
I found this interesting study conducted over 30 years ago. It’s been discovered that the lab mice that were injected with the preservatives had offspring that were all (100%) born with altered brain chemistries. According to researchers involved with the experiment: “The affected mice weighed less, slept less and fought more than normal.” Coincidentally, in the same 30 year span, the number of children requiring treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has doubled.

Other toxic effects the two chemicals are known to have on humans:
Loss of consciousness, kidney disease, liver disease, respiratory depression, behavior/central nervous system deficiency, gastritis, hypermotility, reduces bloods ability to clot, asthma, dermatitis, migraine headaches and the list of harmful toxic effects these chemicals are known to have on humans continues.

When asked if they would consider replacing the harmful preservatives with a safe, natural one, Kellogg’s responded by saying this:

source

In the short time I’ve spent researching BHT and BHA I quickly learned to be on the look out for both of them. I’m not concerned with the chemical when it’s being used to preserve gasoline, jet fuels, transformer oil or being used as embalming fluid. Embalming fluid - Fun fact: BHT is injected into dead people (embalming fluid) to replace blood and preserve the dead body. That doesn’t concern me either. But I am concerned with all of the side effects related to ingesting the stuff - I’ll pass! And this post covered ingestion. Contact - That’s another one! There’s an entirely separate list of hazardous concerns and side effects should you come in contact with BHA or BHT but that’s a whole other story. One thing at a time! Don’t eat the stuff - Noted!

Click here if you missed Monday’s post