The Top 6 Food 'AVOIDS'
As you probably already know, I am passionate about good ethics, and educating people on the dangerous food additives enabling them to choose their family’s food wisely. Sadly much of this information is not covered by mainstream media.
There is no doubt that the food chain has become controlled by faceless and ruthless corporations who put profit before health so we need to educate ourselves on whether we are eating anything that is harming us.
The main dangerous ingredients I suggest you avoid in foods (and medicines, drinks etc) are (by no means an exclusive list!):
ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS:
Aspartame, Acesulfame K, Sucralose (Splenda), Nutrasweet, Saccharin, etc etc, even the new Stevia-based sweetener, Truvia, is very bad news.
These are insufficiently tested, and where testing has been performed it is often biased as it is carried out by the manufacturer and based upon junk science. These have been linked to cancer, tumours, weight gain and even death. There are 92 FDA-documented reactions to Aspartame alone!
MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE (MSG):
A flavour enhancer found in many foods especially crisps and snacks, that attacks your brain cells. It works by neurologically causing people to experience a more intense flavour from the foods that they eat rather than just flavouring foods, and has been linked to many disorders and ethical issues.
FLUORIDE:
I mention in another article about the dangers of this toxic substance found in almost all mainstream dental care, and in some water supplies. A major cause of cancer, Alzheimer’s and much more.
SODIUM NITRATE & NITRITE:
Found in deli meats, such as bacon and ham, have been linked to gastric cancer and oesophaegal cancer.
HYDROGENATED FATS:
Fats that have been blasted with hydrogen to make them semi-solid such as in ‘healthy’ spreads. Fats that have been altered in any way are extremely bad for us. Hydrogenated fats are basically plastics, possessing no properties of oils or fats once processed. Consumption of these trans fats are directly linked to cancer, heart disease and unhealthy cholesterol imbalances (despite advertising to the contrary).
Instead make friends with good saturates such as coconut oil and organic butter!
GM FOODS:
Genetic Modification, or Engineering, is completely unethical and untested, no-one has any idea how these foods will react to our bodies. The argument against GM is too lengthy to cover here. Some of our foods are already GM or contain GM ingredients, the main ones being rapeseed (canola), corn, cotton, rice and soy - including animals fed on these products where less strict rules apply.
If you choose organic then there is reassurance that your food will not contain GM ingredients or if it is meat, has been fed with GM feed.