Here is a list of the top most dangerous food additives on the market:
These are deemed most disgusting ingredients that manifacturers add to foods that cause serious health problems (such as Cancer!) and are just outright GROSS!Castoreum – This has got to be the nastiest additive on the the market. Food scientists are using the castor anal sacs of female beavers to flavor your food. Castoreum usually adds a raspberry or vanilla flavor. You will never see it in the ingredient list. It usually falls under “natural flavors” or “natural vanilla flavor.”
Cochineal Extract - Another gross additive comes from the shells of female cochineal insects. They eat red cactus berries and it concentrates the color on their bodies. The bugs are trapped and shaken until they are killed. This retains the color of their bodies. Then they shells are dried in the sun. Once you mix the dried shells with water, you can make a red dye.
TBHQ - This is an additive used to retain freshness, and extend the shelf life of processed foods like crackers, chips and even cooking spray. It is also a chemical found in butane! TBHQ has been known to cause nausea and vomiting. Long term uses of TBHQ have been shown to cause cancerous tumors in laboratory animals.
Propylene Glycol - This is used as a preservative. It is especially used in ice cream to keep them from getting freezer burned. It is also very common in boxed cake mixes. What you should know is that propylene glycol is also found in anti-freeze.
Cellulose - Cellulose is basically “wood pulp.” It can come from many plants, but the most popular form used by the food industry, comes from wood pulp. Food scientists use this as a calorie reducer. Humans cannot digest it, so it contains no caloric value. It also acts as a cheap filler, adding bulk to processed foods.
Shellac - This additive is how conventional apples and tomatoes get that unnatural shine. Personally, I think they look freakish and always go for the ugly organic apples. Shellac comes from the kerria lacca insect. This insect has a sticky excretion that it uses to stick to the trees it lives on in Thailand. Food makers use this to provide shine to all kinds of foods like apples, tomatoes and jellybeans.
L-cysteine - This one made me choke on my breakfast. I had no idea. Evidently, food scientists are using duck feathers to soften dough that is used in processed foods. It is most commonly seen in commercial breads, cookies and bagels. This could be a real problem for vegans who are unaware.
If this isn’t a reason to limit processed foods, I don’t know what is. Seems like most processed foods these days are more like science experiments.
Propylene glycol:
This food additive, E1520, is used in a variety of foods as well as many other industrial uses. It is used as a moisturiser in toothpaste, hair care products, cosmetics, as an ingredient in smoke machines, in photographic solvents and as an anti-freeze ingredient in water and engine coolant systems. When mixed with water it has a lower freezing point and is very similar to its sister compound ethylene glycol, an industrial antifreeze, only less toxic. In fact some softer scoop ice creams use propylene glycol as an added ingredient to prevent the product from becoming too solid. So the next time you try to be 'healthy' by eating a lower fat ice cream, just remember the anti-freeze your consuming that is 'oh so tasty' too!
Methylparaben:
The food additive (E218) has been used in many foods as a preservative for over 50 years as a result of its potent anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Whilst methylparaben is said not to have any toxic accumulation effects on the the human body, some sources suggest it may increase the risk of breast cancer, allergic reactions and increased oestrogenic activity. The slightly disturbing origin of methylparaben is that it is a potent pheromone present in the vaginal secretions of some female dogs to attract a mate during the appropriate phase of their menstrual cycle. So when you are sipping on a glass of wine, a soft drink or fruit juice made from concentrate and your pet dog starts on your leg, its probably the E218 in the drink driving him insane!
sodium bisulfite
In the 1980s, sodium bisulfite was banned from use on raw fruits and vegetables in the United States following the deaths of 13 people who unknowingly consumed produce treated with excessive amounts of the substance. One active ingredient in the compound is CHLORINE.
Sodium benzoate chokes out your body’s nutrients at the DNA cellular level by depriving mitochondria cells of oxygen, sometimes completely shutting them down. Just as humans need oxygen to breathe, cells need oxygen to function properly and to fight off infection, including cancer.“ In even more harmful news, If sodium benzoate is combined with vitamin C, it can cause a chemical reaction that causes benzene to be formed. Benzene is a known carcinogen also the active ingredient in gasoline.
BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene): this common additive used to prevent oxidation in a wide variety of foods and cosmetics is listed by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) in 2005 as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” on the basis of experimental findings in animals. It is also used in jet fuels, rubber petroleum products, transformer oil and embalming fluid. As if this were not enough, the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) warns that BHT should not be allowed to enter the environment, can cause liver damage, and is harmful to aquatic organisms.
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS): Loaded with “unbound” fructose and glucose molecules, studies have shown that the reactive carbonyl molecules can cause tissue damage that may lead to obesity, diabetes, and also heart disease. So much for this “Strong Heart Antioxidants” cereal recipe! HFCS is made from genetically modified corn and processed with genetically modified enzymes. To make matters worse, studies have recently revealed that nearly half of tested samples of HFCS contained mercury.
Yellow #5: Almost all colorants approved for use in food are derived from coal tar and may contain up tp 10ppm of lead and arsenic. Also, and not surprisingly, most coal tar colors could potentially cause cancer.
Soybean oil: More than half of all soybeans crops grown in the US are genetically-modified (GMO) representing a meteoric rise since 1996, when only 7% were GMO soybeans. Genetically modified crops not only pose environmental dangers. There is a growing concern (and mounting scientific evidence) that genetic engineering of food plant seeds may have an unexpected and negative impact on human health.
Propylene glycol alginate (E405): this food thickener, stabilizer, and emulsifier is derived from alginic acid esterified and combined with propylene glycol. Bear in mind that even though propylene glycol is used as a food additive, it has many industrial uses including automotive antifreezes and airport runway de-icers.
Polysorbate 60: short for polyoxyethylene-(20)- sorbitan monostearate this emulsifier is widely used in the food industry. Made of made of corn, palm oil and petroleum, this gooey mix can’t spoil, so it often replaces dairy products in baked goods and other liquid products.
Enriched flour: these pretzels are made with enriched flour. But don’t let the attractive description mislead you: like most highly processed foods, enriched flour is devoid of nutrients and more often than not it is also bleached. Since the wheat germ and bran are removed from this type of flour, the body treats it as a refined starch.
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