Would you be shocked if I told you that many of us today are part of a giant science experiment involving modern foods? Sadly, it seems that the experiment is not working out well for us, and the increase in heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cancer are just a few examples. With so many food additives getting the FDA’s stamp of approval under the label GRAS (generally recognized as safe), it’s no wonder that people are becoming increasingly concerned about the safety and long-term effects of these additives in our foods.
Side Effects of Common Food Additives
The list of adverse effects resulting from food additives is quite extensive. Let’s examine a few of the everyday additives that may surprise you:
- Aspartame – An artificial sweetener that has received more than 10,000 FDA consumer complaints, with 91 different symptoms reported, including heart palpitations, eye twitches, headaches, dizziness, nausea, stomach pain, and attention disorders.
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG) – People report headaches and nausea from consuming foods containing MSG, which is often found in potato chips, ranch dressing, gravies, frozen dinners, and salty-flavored snacks.
- Food additives triggering canker sores – Some have been shown to cause a condition called recurrent aphthous stomatitis, also known as canker sores. The painful ulcers in the mouth last at least seven days and sometimes even months.
- Aluminium-containing food additives – These can lead to toxic levels of aluminium intake from common bakery products such as donuts, cookies and pound cake, as well as prepared mixes such as scones and bread mixes.
- Dietary emulsifiers – These have been linked to increased development of colon cancer tumors and metabolic syndrome, a cluster of symptoms such as insulin resistance, weight gain, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar. Common dietary emulsifiers include polysorbate-80 (found in ice cream, puddings, sauces) and carboxymethylcellulose (found in ice cream, cheese, toppings, icings, candy).
Chronic Exposure to Additives Increases Danger
One prime example of this phenomenon is titanium dioxide, an additive found in everything from chewing gum to milk to chocolate to breads. Research has shown that acute exposure does not have any effect, but with chronic exposure over five or more days, detrimental health effects occur. This is the case with many additives that have received GRAS status from the FDA, meaning they are safe to consume at certain doses. However, many of these additives have not been tested for cumulative chronic use, leading to potential health risks for those regularly consuming them.
Minimizing Food Additives in Your Diet
So, how can you take control of your health and minimize food additives in your diet? Here are a few steps you can take:
- Educate yourself: Get informed about the different food additives. Don’t rely solely on the FDA; do your own research and explore sites like the Center for Science in the Public Interest or the Environmental Working Group for more comprehensive information on the potential health effects of different additives.
- Read food labels: Make it a habit to read labels when shopping. Look for products with minimal ingredients and avoid problematic additives such as tartrazine, yellow #5, diacetyl, nitrates, nitrites, and others.
- Avoid processed meats: Foods such as deli meats, bacon, sausage, canned meat, smoked meat, and hot dogs often contain high levels of nitrites, nitrates, preservatives, and additives, which should be avoided.
- Eat whole foods: Stick to natural, whole foods like grass-fed meat and free-range poultry, wild-caught fish and seafood, free-range eggs, nuts, seeds, and a variety of organic fruits and vegetables.
By cleaning up your diet and switching to whole food sources, your cells will be able to rid themselves of harmful additive toxins and restore balance. To further help your body detoxify, consider supporting your liver—the body’s most important detoxification organ—by taking a milk thistle supplement and drinking dandelion root tea daily. These simple practices will make your liver’s detox job much easier and help you reclaim your health.
