Beyond. Health and Wellness Magazine July 2016 | Page 18

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Food Additives
To Avoid

1. Artificial Sweeteners

For years now we have embraced the positives of a zero
calorie beverage. However, we might have been quick to
believe these are good for us. There is now research that
these pseudo-sweetened beverages might cause calorie
confusion and lead to weight gain and other concerns.
Aspartame has even been known to cause holes in the
brain of rats
(Want to know about the effects of aspartame and diet
pop- Check out our podcast Stop Pop)

2. Artificial Colors

Food manufacturers use 15 million pounds of artificial
food dyes into different foods in the US every year. We
know that these additives are potentially carcinogenic,
behavior-altering and found in foods with little nutritional
value to begin with. Nine of the food dyes currently
approved for use in the US are linked to health issues
ranging from cancer and hyperactivity to allergylike reactions. The presence of an artificial dye often
indicates the absence of healthful ingredients, so it’s best
to skip them entirely, especially those listed here. Blue No.
2, Citrus Red No. 2, Green No. 3, Red No. 3, Red No. 40,
Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6

3. Nitrites and Nitrates

Sodium nitrite is a synthetic preservative added to
meats, such as hot dogs and deli meats, to facilitate a
nice sellable pink color. This additive easily combines
with an amine to form a known cancer causing agent
called nitrosamine. Nitrosamines inflict cellular damage
and have been linked to cancer, typically in your colon,
bladder, stomach, or pancreas.

4. Potassium Bromate

You might not be aware of this, but nearly every time you
eat bread in a restaurant or consume a hamburger or
hotdog bun you are consuming bromide, an endocrinedisrupting chemical commonly used in flours. It directly

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competes with iodine and therefore, can severely affect
the thyroid and thyroid function. The use of potassium
bromate as an additive in commercial breads and baked
goods has been a huge contributor to bromide overload
in Western cultures.
Bromated flour is “enriched” with potassium bromate.
Studies have linked potassium bromate to kidney
and nervous system damage, thyroid problems,
gastrointestinal discomfort, and cancer. Potassium
bromate is banned for food use in Canada, China, and
the European Union (EU).

5. Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated
Hydroxytoluene (BHT)

Both BHT and BHA have been known to gave tumors
and carcinogenic growths in animals. Butylated
hydroxyanisole (BHA) is a preservative that affects
the neurological system of your brain, alters behavior,
and has the potential to cause cancer. It can be found
in breakfast cereal, nut mixes, chewing gum, butter
spread, meat, dehydrated potatoes, popcorn, chips, and
beer, just to name a few. BHA may also trigger allergic
reactions and hyperactivity. BHA is banned from infant
foods in the UK and is banned from use in all foods in
certain parts of the EU and Japan. In the US, the FDA
considers BHA to be a GRAS additive. While BHT is not
considered a carcinogen like BHA, it has been linked to
tumor development in animals along with developmental
effects and thyroid changes..

6. Aluminum additives

Sodium aluminum phosphate, sodium aluminum sulfate,
and many other aluminum additives are found in processed
foods as stabilizers. This metal can accumulate and persist
in your body, especially in your bones, and animal studies
show aluminum may cause neurological effects, including
changes in behavior, learning, and motor response. A link
between Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative
disorders and aluminum exposure may also exist.