A GUIDE TO OUR CHEMICAL LADEN WORLD
Throughout history, humans have been adding additives to the food supply in order to improve taste and texture, enhance appearance and preserve freshness. For example, using salt to preserve meats, sugar to sweeten cakes and purple beetroot juice to give color to sweets. Notice that all of these additives are natural (occur naturally within daily foods). However, in today’s fast paced world, synthetic food additives are excessively added to our processed food diets. Some synthetic additives aren’t completely safe for consumption and pose health risks to the public. These are our choices from almost 10,000 additives that exist today. This is a quick guide on 3 major additives to avoid on your next grocery trip!
Written and Designed by Celine Lityo
A GUIDE TO OUR CHEMICAL LADEN WORLD
These substances are vital to the production of cured meats such as lunch meats, ham, sausages, salami and bacon, because they inhibit the growth of a pathogenic bacteria called Clostridium botulinum (bacteria responsible for botulism). When these meats are cooked in high temperatures, carcinogenic nitrosamines form. Eating an excessive amount of processed meat is linked to colon cancer. Although vegetables contain naturally occurring nitrates and nitrites, they are rarely cooked in high temperatures and do not have much proteins. Look out for cured meats with: • • • •
sodium nitrate (E251) sodium nitrite (E250) potassium nitrate (E252) potassium nitrite (E249)
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/are-nitrates-and-nitrites-harmful#where-nitrates-and-nitritesare-found https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7139399/ https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/csem.asp?csem=28&po=10 https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/sodiumnitrate/faq-20057848
Written and Designed by Celine Lityo
A GUIDE TO OUR CHEMICAL LADEN WORLD
Children love snacks and treats that scream color, but many of these man-made colors are associated with hyperactivity, learning impairments, irritability and even cancer. Artificial colors are found everywhere, from cosmetics to meats to confections. Among the most common and dangerous are: • • •
Yellow #5 (Tartrazine) Yellow #6 (Sunset Yellow) Red #40 (Allura Red)
Which contain benzidine and 4-aminobiphenyl, substances linked with cancer. Children taken off Red #40 dyes immediately show better brain function
Other food dyes like Brilliant Blue (Blue #1), Indigo Carmine (Blue #2), Citrus Red #2, Fast Green (Green #3) are also a main source of health concerns such as bladder and brain tumors, chromosal damage, asthma, lymphoma, insomnia, eczema and allergies. Attempt to consume food with natural food dyes like turmeric, beetroot, berries, carrots, spinach, paprika etc. http://www.eatingwell.com/article/16442/the-hidden-health-risks-of-fooddyes/#:~:text=The%20three%20most%20widely%20used,learning%20impairment%2C%20irritability%20and%20aggressiven ess. https://www.special-education-degree.net/food-dyes/
Written and Designed by Celine Lityo
A GUIDE TO OUR CHEMICAL LADEN WORLD
Artificial sweeteners have been gaining popularity as a sweet solution to weight loss. These substances are capable of the multiplying sweetness of sugar, making it a popular ingredient in confectionery and baking. But not all sweeteners ae created equally, some maybe more harmful than the other.
200X SWEETER THAN SUGAR
200-700X SWEETER THAN SUGAR
Aspartame is made of aspartic acid and phenylalanine, which is broken down to methanol in the body. When Saccharin is commonly found in canned fruits, aspartame is heated, it produces free methanol, a carcinogen and neurotoxin. Aspartame is toxic to people diet products, and beverages. It is a sulfonamide, which cause allergic reactions in with Phenylketonuria (cannot process phenylalanine). some individuals. Some health risks associated: Cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, weight gain, birth defects, Some health risks associated: Much research by federal agencies have been ADHD, lupus done, and it has been deemed same. However, activists still claim its link to cancer.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/artificial-sweeteners-sugar-free-but-at-what-cost-201207165030 https://www.healthline.com/health/aspartame-side-effects https://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/top-number-most-dangerous-artificial-sweeteners.html https://www.livestrong.com/article/465273-which-is-worse-saccharin-or-aspartame/
Written and Designed by Celine Lityo