Derived from cornstarch, usually a combination of 50% fructose and 50% glucose. Treated with an enzyme that converts glucose to fructose, which results in a sweeter product. Used in many mass-produced foods including soft drinks, baked goods, jelly, syrups, condiments (like ketchup), fruits and desserts.
Studies have shown high consumption of fructose contributes to weight gain, fatty liver disease and diabetes. Fructose is not metabolized in the same way glucose is by the body. It doesn't release the hormone Leptin, which regulates blood glucose levels and satiation (the feeling of fullness after eating).
HFCS is linked to many other health effects, including increased risk of heart disease, and fructose may alther the magnesium balance in the body, resulting in accelerated bone loss.
Artificial Sweeteners – flavor enhancers
Substances that impart sweetness to foods but supply little or no energy to the body; also called non-nutritive or alternative sweeteners.
Artificial Sweeteners (Aspartame, Acesulfame K and Saccharin) cause behavioral problems, hyperactivity, allergies, kidney and liver damage, and are possibly carcinogenic. The government cautions against the use of any artificial sweetener by children and pregnant women. Anyone with PKU (phenylketonuria—a problem of phenylalanine, an amino acid, metabolism) should not use aspartame (Nutrasweet).
The safety of many of artificial sweeteners, especially Splenda, is heavily debated. More research needs to be done.
MSG (monosodium glutamate) – flavor enhancer
MSG is the sodium salt of the amino acid glutamic acid and a form of glutamate. Used to intensify meat and spice flavorings in meats, condiments, pickles, soups, candy and baked goods.
Asians originally used a seaweed broth to obtain the flavor-enhancing effects of MSG, but today MSG is made by a fermenting process using starch, sugar beets, sugar cane or molasses.
MSG causes common allergic and behavioral reactions including headaches, dizziness, chest pains, depression and mood swings; also a possible neurotoxin.
Women who ingest MSG while pregnant increase the risk of the developing fetus having a smaller pituitary, thyroid, ovary or testes. This results in reproductive dysfunction in both females and males. MSG also increases the allergic load, putting someone at risk of developing sensitivities to numerous chemicals and other substances. It can make consumers more sensitive to products containing aspartame (NutraSweet).
Hydrolyzed Proteins – flavor enhancers
Hydrolyzed proteins, used by the food industry to enhance flavor, are proteins that have been chemically broken apart into amino acids. The chemical breakdown of proteins may result in the formation of free glutamate that joins with free sodium to form MSG. In this case, the presence of MSG does not need to be disclosed on labeling. However, labeling is required when MSG is added as a direct ingredient.
The symptoms of free glutamate toxicity are many and varied. So many symptoms can occur that it is often difficult to believe that it is the free glutamate causing them. How could a single substance cause such diverse reactions? One of the reasons is that it acts like a neurotropic drug, a substance that affects the nervous system. This substance can affect insulin metabolism and diabetes resulting in both excessive insulin secretion and insulin resistance.
Fatigue, flushing, gastric distress, headaches & migraines, hyperactivity in children, Infertility and other endocrine problems, insomnia, irregular or rapid heart beat, joint pain, mood swings, mouth lesions, nausea and vomiting, numbness such as finger tips, seizures, shortness of breath, simple skin rash, slurred speech, stomach aches, tremors, vomiting, weaknes
Coloring Agents
Artificial Colors – coloring agents
Artificial food colors are described as one of the most dangerous additives. More than 90% of food colorings now in use are manufactured. The numbered colors, called synthetic colors, are made from coal tar or petroleum.
Studies have shown artificial colors have an affect on children’s behavior, triggering ADD, ADHD and hyperactivity. Artificial food colors have been linked to allergies and asthma, and are a possible carcinogen.
In particular, FD&C Yellow No. 5, or tartrazine, is used to color beverages, candy, ice cream, custards and other foods. The color additive may cause hives in as many as one out of 10,000 people and trigger asthma attacks in those with sensitivies. By law, whenever the color is added to foods or taken internally, it must be listed on the label. This allows the small portion of people who may be sensitive to FD&C Yellow No. 5 to avoid it.
Nitrates & Nitrites – color fixatives
Nitrates and nitrites (potassium and sodium) are substances made up of nitrogen, oxygen, and various other organic and inorganic compounds. They are naturally present in a number of foods, but are also used as color fixatives in cured and processed meats (i.e. bacon, bologna, frankfurters) and in some types of smoked fish (i.e. salmon, tuna).
Nitrates and nitrites combine with natural stomach saliva and food substances to create nitrosamines, powerful cancer-causing additives.
Preservatives
Hydrogenated Oils (aka Trans Fats or Trans Fatty Acids) – preservative
Hydrogenation – the process of adding hydrogen gas under high pressure to liquid oils to turn them into solids at room temperature – increases the shelf life and flavor stability of foods containing polyunsaturated fats.
Partially hydrogenated vegetable oils are much less expensive than the fats originally favored by bakers, such as butter or lard.
Hydrogenated fats, also know as trans fats, have been found to contribute to cardiovascular disease, such as fat-clogged arteries. They are associated with many serious diseases such as cancer, atherosclerosis, diabetes, obesity, immune system dysfunction, low-birth-weight babies, birth defects, decreased visual acuity, sterility, difficulty in lactation and problems with bones and tendons.
Amounts of trans fat has been required on food labels as of 2006. Careful label scrutiny of both ingredient lists and nutrition facts statements is still necessary. A nutrition facts statement can state "0 grams trans fat" as long as it contains .5 grams or less per serving. Listings of partially hydrogenated fats on an ingredient list indicates the presense of a trans fat.
Sodium Benzoate – preservative
Sodium benzoate is used as a preservative, effectively killing most yeast, bacteria and fungi. It is used primarily in foods such as preserves, salad dressings, carbonated drinks, jams and fruit juices.
Sodium Benzoate combines with Vitamin C to become benzoic acid, a known carcinogen.
Calcium Disodium EDTA (Ethylenediamine Tetraacetic Acid) – preservative and sequestrant/humectant (aids in water retention)
Used as a food additive to prevent crystal formation and to inhibit color loss. Used in canned and carbonated soft drinks for flavor retention. Also used in dressings and mayonnaise as a preservative.
Often added to foods – particularly meat, poultry and fish – to help retain moisture and soft texture.
May cause intestinal upset, muscle cramps, kidney damage, and blood in urine. This additive is on the FDA priority list of food additives to be studied for mutagenic, teratogenic, subacute and reproductive effects.
Known to cause cancer in animals and disrupt the body's hormone balance.
Banned for use in food in Japan (1958), Romania and Australia. In the US, it has been banned from use in food for infants and small children.
There is some controversy with regard to BHT and cancer risk with some studies showing the potential to increase the risk and some showing a decrease in risk. Some evidence also links BHT with hyperactivity in children. Several food industries have vaoluntarily eliminated this additive from their products, and since the 1970s, it has been steadily replaced with the lesser-studied BHA.
An Exception for Now: Wine
While we are opposed to added sulfites found in wine, it is very hard to avoid them. Virtually all wines – even the organic ones – contain some level of sulfites, which are naturally produced by yeast during the fermentation process. Despite this, we seek out and evaluate new wines, to which no sulfites have been added as a pesticide or preservative.
Sulfites – preservatives
Sulfur-based compounds that are a natural by-product of fermentation. Most wines contain low levels of sulfites, which are used to protect wine from oxidation and to kill off bactera. Sulfites are also used to clean and sterilize equipment and barrels, and may sometimes be sprayed in a vineyard to prevent disease and pests.
In 1988, the Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol and Firearms required a warning label – “Contains Sulfites” – on wines, beers and spirits that exceed the 10 parts per million (ppm) threshold. Wines that contain less than 10ppm sulfites do not require this warning.
Sulfites are safe for most people. However, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, approximately 1% of the population has some sensitivity to sulfur compounds and sulfites and about 5% of asthma sufferers can have adverse sulfite reactions. Asthmatics who depend on corticosteroids are especially prone to sulfite sensitivity and can have severe reactions. For that reason, in 1986 the FDA banned the use of sulfites on fresh fruits and vegetables (except potatoes) intended to be sold or served raw to consumers. People with allergies to aspirin are also at an elevated risk for reaction to sulfites. The reaction can be fatal and requires immediate treatment at an emergency room, and can include sneezing, swelling of the throat, and hives. Sulfites are also believed to cause headaches in some people.
