Chemicals In Food: Why They Make You Sick And How To Avoid Them

Chemicals in food can make you sick and increase your cancer risk. Learn about the food additives that manufacturers put in our food and how to avoid them. And discover how you can eat a more natural diet and stay healthy.

What we put in our mouth can affect our health in a significant way. Processed food often contain nasty chemicals.

Food manufacturers use additives to make a low-quality product look and taste great. But the more processed food we eat, the fewer nutrients we get.

The typical American diet is high in processed foods. Processed foods contain additives, preservatives, and other chemical ingredients. Many countries regulate the use of chemicals in food. Manufacturers need to label food additives by using their chemical names or numbers.

In Europe, they use food additive code numbers with an "e" prefix.

These E-numbers are food additives approved for use in Europe. Countries outside Europe use the numbers but do not add the E prefix.

The more packaged food we eat, the less natural it becomes. Many of the fast foods we eat today are Frankenstein foods that the body can’t digest.

We have come up with smart ways to create food with unique abilities. But that doesn't change the fact that our bodies are still the same as when we were cavemen.

When you give your body unfamiliar food, it cannot decode it. It is like reading a book in a foreign language. The book becomes useless to you if you can't understand the words.

It is like trying to install a program designed for the latest Windows version on a Windows 95 computer. The old computer can’t run the application unless we program it for that operating system.

It is the same with our bodies and food. Your body only knows how to process fruits and vegetables in its natural form. It doesn’t recognize synthetic foods and will treat it as a poison.

Therefore we need to eat the food in its natural state.

So let's learn about different chemicals or food additives you need to avoid. One thing you should look out for is vegetable oils.

Chemicals In Food You Should Avoid

Vegetable Oils

All oils are bad for our health. Manufacturers create oils by using intensive mechanical or chemical processes.

They separate the oil from vegetables, nuts or seeds. These methods remove the natural nutrients from the seeds. There are many different vegetable oils on the market, these include:

Oils are chemical products and are not health foods. Vegetable oils are excessive fats that your body doesn't need. Too much dietary fat makes people overweight and creates a lot of health problems.

Conventional oils, like canola, olive, and flaxseed oil, have low burning points. When you cook with these oils, you're damaging them and creating free radicals. Free radicals destroy your health and weaken your body.

Whole foods have fiber that protects the vegetables or fruits from oxidation. When you separate the liquids from plants, you expose the nutrients to oxygen.

Prolonged exposure to air, deteriorate the vital enzymes and nutrients in oils. The extraction of oils remove all the other ingredients of the whole food. Oils have no proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, or minerals from the real food.

They supply concentrated calories but nothing else from the plants. Vegetable oil is the most calorie dense substance you can eat.

Oils clog arteries which lead to heart disease and the risk of cancer. Trans fats are another risk factor in vegetable oils. They are human-made fatty acids formed during the process of hydrogenation. Hydrogenation turns liquid vegetable oils into solid fats.

It makes margarine firm at higher temperatures. Trans fats increase your risk of heart disease, sudden death, and diabetes.

There are no safe levels of trans fats. The body cannot process these formed particles.

Extra virgin olive and coconut oil are not healthy either. They provide no protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, or fiber.

Olive oil still contains some unhealthy saturated fat. Saturated fat consumed in excess contributes to a host of health problems. The higher in fat your diet is, the less effective your insulin becomes.

Coconut oil contains over 90% saturated fat. It has the same detrimental effect on our cholesterol as eating butter.

Whole plant foods like whole grains, greens, nuts, and seeds have adequate fat.  If you eat a variety of natural foods, you will not be deficient in fat. We do not need to take fish oil, olive oil, or any other oil when we eat healthy foods.

Fats should come from whole foods such as vegetables, not oils. Plants contain fiber, vitamins, minerals, and protein, that is missing from oils.

Avoid all foods that contain oils and refuse to eat them. Other chemicals you should look out for are food colorings.

Food Colorings

Food coloring is also known as artificial color.

Manufacturers use it in foods and drinks to create a specific appearance. Food colors are prevalent in our daily life and are even in foods and beverages we wouldn't expect.

They make the orange color of oranges brighter and more uniform. Food colorings also change the colors in sodas. They are also popular in cakes, cupcakes, candy, and salmons.

Artificial colors contain various chemicals that often come from petroleum products. They are available in multiple forms, including liquids, powders, gels, and pastes.

Artificial dyes can cause serious side effects. They can lead to hyperactivity in children, cancer, and allergies.

Food manufacturers often prefer artificial food dyes over natural food colorings. Artificial food dyes produce a more vibrant color than natural colorings.

Common artificial colorings are:

Source: Food Dyes A Rainbow of Risks, Livestrong.com

The most popular food dyes are Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6. Together they make up 90% of all the food dyes used in the US.

Avoiding all artificial colorings is wise. There are however other natural colorings that don't cause a threat to our body they are:

Preservatives are other threats to our health.

Preservatives

People have been preserving food for a long time. Salting, smoking, and drying are preservation techniques used for thousands of years.

When most people talk about preservatives today, they are not referring to salt or smoke. The packaged food we eat is often manufactured far away from the supermarkets.

Preservatives prolong a food’s shelf life. They keep the food fresh long after nature would decompose them. Preservatives extend the life of the food in various ways. Some chemicals kill bacteria and fungi that make the food rot, these include:

Other preservatives, prevent food from changing color when exposed to air. These include chemicals such as BHT, BHA and propyl gallate.  

Preservatives can differ in their potential health impact. Citric acid is an example of a compound that is not harmful. Some preservatives are salt, sugar, alcohol, and vinegar. Most modern preservatives come from synthetic chemicals. They can have devastating effects on the human body.

Chemicals such as potassium sorbate may be harmful to us. Nitrites a preservative in processed meats may raise your cancer risk.

Sodium benzoate, a common food additive, may cause hyperactivity in children. Another popular preservative, sodium nitrate, changes to sodium nitrite. Sodium nitrite is a known carcinogen. Sulfites often used to prolong the shelf life of wine, can cause asthma outbreaks.

The preservative BHA may be a carcinogen. Sodium benzoate is prevalent in soft drinks. When you combine it with ascorbic acid, it forms the carcinogen, benzene. Sodium benzoate can also cause hyperactivity.

Phosphate used in chicken can stiffen your arteries. Another disturbing side effect is the increased growth of the Campylobacter bacteria.

Phosphorus preservatives damage our blood vessels and speed up the aging process. They can also contribute to osteoporosis. And the most disturbing fact is that the meat industry doesn't list it on the nutrition facts label.

By eliminating meat, junk foods, and processed cheese, you can lower your intake of these toxins.

Antioxidants and acidity regulators are other additives used in food packages.

Antioxidants/Acidity Regulators

Antioxidants exist in plant-based foods such as fruits and vegetables.

Some antioxidants include:

Antioxidants prevent cell damage caused by oxidants. Oxidants are free radicals that you can find in the environment, or in the body. Your body uses them to help fend off viruses and microbes. But too many oxidants may contribute to cancer and heart disease.

Eating foods containing lots of antioxidants may slow down this process.

Acidity regulators control the acidity or alkalinity in foods. Acidification is one way of preserving food. It can prevent bacteria growth, and maintain the desired product quality. Cucumbers, artichokes, cauliflowers, and peppers are low-acid foods. Therefore the manufactures often acidify them.

Citric acid is an acidity regulator that enhances the activity of many antioxidants. It also increases the gel consistency in marmalades and prevents browning in fruits.

Calcium acetate has several functions. It can work as a thickening agent by buffering the pH of food. Fumaric acid is an acidity regulator and flavoring agent. It is common in bread, fruit drinks, pie fillings, poultry, wine, jams, and jelly.

Most antioxidants and acid regulators are safe. But there are some synthetic versions of them you should avoid.

Source: www.food-info.net, www.curezone.org

Thickeners and stabilizers are other chemicals used in processed food.

Thickeners/Stabilizers/Gelling Agents

Stabilizers and thickening agents increase the viscosity of a liquid. Food thickeners are either polysaccharides such as starches, vegetable gums, pectin or proteins.

Some natural thickeners are wheat, maize, rice, arrowroot or flour.

Pectin solidifies fruit juices in jams and comes from fruits.

Gelling agents thicken and stabilize foods like jellies, desserts, and candies. They provide the food with texture through formation of a gel.

Typical gelling agents include natural gums, starches, pectins, agar-agar, and gelatin. Gelatin is one of the main ingredients of jellies. It is a tasteless, odorless and transparent fat that is soluble in water.

The main ingredient in gelatin is collagen. You can find it in tendons, cartilages or bones of animals. The most common source for extracting gelatin is pigs.

Proteins used as food thickeners include collagen, egg whites, furcellaran, and gelatin. Sugars include agar and carrageenan.

Vegetable gums are getting more prevalent in our food. They are often part of products made for people with gluten sensitivity and celiac disease. Gums produce more viscosity in gluten-free bread or cookies.  

Some thickeners on the market include:

Xantham gums in high concentrations may cause bloating. It can come from GMO crops which are common food allergens.

Carrageenan is a bit controversial. Some studies showed adverse reactions in animals. High concentrations of it can cause bloating, due to fermentation by the intestinal microflora. Short-chain carrageenans may cause intestinal leakage. They are also not permitted for use in foods.

Every thickener is suitable for different foods. They have different tastes and responses to chemicals and physical conditions. For example, arrowroot is better for acidic foods than cornstarch. Cornstarch loses its thickening potency in acidic mixtures.

Emulsifiers are other components of some processed food.

Emulsifiers

Emulsifiers make it possible to mix oils and water, together. Oil and water never blend well until you add an emulsifier. Emulsifiers are molecules with one water-loving part and one oil-loving end. Therefore they create a stable, homogenous, smooth emulsion.

The ancient Greeks used the emulsifying power of beeswax in cosmetic products. Egg yolks were one of the first emulsifiers ever used in food production back in the early 19th century.

But eggs had a short-coming, they weren't stable for a long time. The manufacturers then switched from egg yolks to lecithin that comes from soy. Later they used derivatives of fatty acids of mono- and diglycerides.

Nowadays, emulsifiers are part of:

Avoid all products that contain emulsifiers to be on the safe side.

Humectants are other substances added to food.

Humectants

A humectant keeps things moist. They are part of many products, including food, cosmetics, medicines, and pesticides.

Humectants attract and retain the moisture from the air.  A common humectant in foods is sorbitol. This humectant is a sugar alcohol derived from sugar.

It is lower in calories than sugar, so it is a popular choice for those who are dieting. In higher doses, it has a laxative effect.

Polydextrose is another humectant food additive used to replace sugar. It is not only found in sweet foods but also salad dressings. Polydextrose replaces sugar in some foods, but also fats or starches. It also has a laxative effect.

Glycerol or glycerin is a frequent addition to moisturizing lotions and skin creams. Some humectants used in skin care products are vegetable oil based. Many work well for moisturizing and smoothing the skin.

Examples of some humectants include:

Try to avoid humectants as best as you can. Aloe vera is one healthy alternative.

The next thing on this list is anti-caking agents.

Anti-Caking Agents

Anti-caking agents prevent ingredients from becoming solid blocks of chalk. Ingredients like salt suck humidity out of the air as time passes. The water makes the particles bind with one another. This natural process leads to lower product quality and makes it harder to pour things.

Anti-caking agents either absorb excess moisture or make particles water repellent. Food manufacturers often add anti-caking agents at some point during the production process. Reducing clumping and moisture-absorption means lower costs.

Most anti-caking agents are from synthetic substances. Some of them are silicon dioxide, magnesium or calcium stearates.

Here are some common anti-caking agents:

Source: www.food-info.net

Anti-caking agents can increase the rate at which vitamin C breaks down. This process makes it harder to absorb it.

Anti-caking agents are often composed of phosphate, carbonate, silicate or oxide compounds. Many of these mixtures contain aluminum.

Aluminum is a known toxin, that can damage the kidneys, muscles, digestive system and bones. High levels of it may also cause Alzheimer's.

Avoid fake foods with additives and stick to a whole plant-based diet instead. Other things to look out for are flavor enhancers.

Flavor Enhancers

Flavor enhancers improve the flavor in the food. They are common in instant soups, frozen dinners and snack foods. Salt is a natural flavoring enhancer and one of our basic tastes.

It can make the food taste better and also preserve it.

The most controversial food enhancer is monosodium glutamate or MSG. It is one of the worst food additives on the market. MSG is part of canned soups, crackers, meats, salad dressings, and frozen meals. MSG makes processed meats and frozen dinners taste fresher.

The inventor was the Japanese man Kikunae Ikeda. He identified the natural flavor enhancing substance of seaweed. Ikeda then used this substance and created the additive MSG. MSG consist of about 78% free glutamic acid, 21% sodium, and up to 1% contaminants.

It has little taste at all, but make you appreciate the food more. MSG tricks your tongue, by using the fifth basic taste umami.

Umami is the taste of glutamate, which is a savory flavor found in many Japanese foods. It is because of umami that foods with MSG taste heartier and better to a lot of people.

MSG is an excitotoxin, which means it overexcites your cells. Excitotoxins can kill or damage your brain cells to varying degrees.

Free glutamic acid is the same neurotransmitter used by your body. So MSG can, therefore, affect your nervous system, eyes, pancreas and other organs.

Common side effects of MSG are:

MSG hides in more than 40 other FDA-approved ingredients.

Manufacturers only have to list the name of the actual ingredient added. They don't have to report the elements within those ingredients.

So, they can say that the product includes spices or flavorings when that spice mix includes MSG. They can also list yeast extract or hydrolyzed soy protein without telling about the MSG.

Here is a list of ingredients that always contain MSG:

MSG is also prevalent in Chinese restaurants. There is already a popular term called the "Chinese restaurant syndrome." It refers to when people get sick after eating at a Chinese restaurant.

Sweeteners are other things to look out for in the food.

Sugar And Artificial Sweeteners

Sweeteners add extra sweeteners to the food. Cakes and ice creams contain sugar so that we crave them more. Most sweeteners are detrimental to our health.

White sugar is a processed food with empty calories. It contains no fibers, proteins, essential fats, vitamins or minerals. Too much refined sugar in the diet can lead to tooth decay and high levels of triglycerides. When you eat lots of empty calories, you weaken the body’s defense and repair systems.

People often confuse white sugar with healthy carbohydrates. But they are not the same. White sugar is a processed, unhealthy food and should not be a part of your diet. Sugars found in vegetables and fruits are different from white sugar. Plants contain vitamins, mineral, protein, fiber and more.

The only sugar you should eat is from whole foods like vegetables and fruits.

Artificial sweeteners are low-calorie or calorie-free chemical substances used instead of sugar.

You can find them in thousands of products. Drinks, desserts, ready meals, cakes, chewing gum, and toothpaste often contain sweeteners.

Some sugar alternatives are:

Sugar alcohols may also lead to intestinal gas, cramps, and diarrhea if you overeat them.

Artificial sweeteners do not deliver the same hunger-satisfying capacity as white sugar. As a result, you can start to binge eat even more. Therefore you may crave more diet sodas and eat more sweets.

They also can make the taste buds and brain less sensitive to sweet substances. Therefore you might need to increase your soda intake to feel okay.

Manufacturers can also combine many different sweeteners in food. By doing so, they avoid the toxic levels of a single sweetener.

Another popular sweetener to look out for is high fructose corn syrup. It often uses genetically modified corn. You can find this sweetener in cereals, baked goods, juices, and sodas.

High fructose corn syrup comes from cornstarch. It's a cheap alternative to sugar. It's a junk food that you should stay away from.

But the most controversial sweetener of them all is aspartame.

Aspartame

This artificial sweetener is also known as NutraSweet. You can find aspartame in over 6,000 products, often in sugar-free or diet products.

The components of aspartame can lead to a wide variety of ailments. Some of these problems occur gradually while others are immediate.

Aspartame is the ingredient found in many popular diet sodas. It is a deadly neurotoxin. Many believe that they are doing their bodies a favor by using it instead of sugar. But Aspartame is not better than sugar; it's even worse.

Donald Rumsfeld got Aspartame approved by the FDA. He was the CEO of Searle, the manufacturer of this poison. When he got elected into office, he used his political powers to influence the FDA.

Aspartame increases the risk of brain tumors. It has many different side effects including:   

Aspartame breaks down into phenylalanine, aspartic acid, and methanol. Methanol converts to formaldehyde and diketopiperazine. They are all known carcinogens.

One safe sweetener you can use is Stevia.

Stevia

Stevia comes from the leaves of a perennial shrub found in Paraguay and Brazil. Stevia is 200-300 times sweeter than table sugar.

This stable sweetener is almost calorie-free, time-tested, and non-toxic. Therefore it may be the best choice if you must use a sugar-substitute.

Stevia, and its pure white active ingredient, stevioside, are safe when used as a sweetener. There are no reports of allergic reactions.

Our bodies have an innate desire for sugars. The best way to fix your sugar rush is to get it from whole foods like starches, vegetables, and fruits.

Avoid or limit your use of sweeteners. Try to sweeten your oatmeal with blueberries or bananas instead of using sweeteners.

Our love for sugar is inborn, but it is adaptable. We can learn to enjoy more flavorful foods with less intense sweetness.

When you get most of your calories from whole plants, you will feel full and satisfied. In that way, you can stop your need for artificial sweeteners.  

Dairy and animal products are something you should never put in your mouth.

Dairy/Animal Products

Animal products are detrimental to our health. They are high in fat. The fat promotes obesity, type-2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Meat is also high in protein. Excess protein overworks and damages the liver and kidneys.

There is no dietary fiber in meat. Fiber is essential for creating a healthy stool.

Cholesterol exists only in animal foods. Excess cholesterol accumulates in our arteries, skin, tendons and our tissues. Too much cholesterol is bad for our health.

Animal flesh is one of the greatest risk factors for getting cancer.

IGF-1 is a growth hormone found in animal products. Too much IGF-1 in adults promotes cancer growth.

Eggs contain too much cholesterol, calories, fat, and bacteria, for humans. Other cancer-causing foods include dairy.

Milk is food for calves, not humans. Cows like any creature can only produce milk while they are pregnant. Milk contains almost three times more protein and four times more calcium than human milk.

One obvious consequence of people eating dairy is a rapid fat gain. Milk products are high in calories, fat, and cholesterol. It contributes to heart disease, strokes, type-2 diabetes, and obesity.

Dairy also contains many growth hormones such as estrogen and IGF-1. Milk can also carry life-threatening microbes such as E. Coli.

Do yourself a favor and stop eating animal products. Refuse to buy products that have animal sources. You will both improve your health and save the planet.

Another risk factor in our food is soy protein isolate.

Soy Protein Isolate & GMOs

Soy protein isolate is a processed, concentrated form of soybeans. It appears as an added ingredient in other processed foods. Many people that ditch animal products replace them with other unhealthy vegan options.

The label vegan often lures us into the convenience trap. Convenience foods whether animal-based or vegan are unhealthy.

Once we make optimal health our goal, our priorities change. Convenience is not worth it if we become sick.

You can find isolated soy protein in many products, such as:

Soy protein isolate raises IGF-1 which is a potent growth promoter. It ages us faster and promotes the growth of cancer cells if our level of IFG-1 stays high throughout life.

Isolated soy protein raises IGF-1 even more than milk products. Watch out for this poison and refuse to eat fake meats that contain soy protein isolate.

The last thing to look out for is GMOs.

GMOs

GMO stands for Genetically modified organisms. They are living organisms that laboratories manipulate through genetic engineering. This process creates combinations of plants that do not occur in nature.

Monsanto is the biggest manufacturer of GMOs. Their GMOs can withstand toxic herbicides and aluminum.

They also have a  patent for plants that can endure abiotic stress. Abiotic stress is anything that puts tension on the plant. It can be the drought, flooding, toxic soil, or something else. By eating GMOs, we also expose ourselves to their toxic herbicides.

GMOs may cause health problems and damage the environment. They can provoke allergies and other issues. They also contain fewer nutrients than ordinary plants.

When farmers feed their animals GMOs, they get weird symptoms. Animals that eat only GMOs often die within a couple of days.

The FDA doesn’t distinguish between GMOs and natural crops. Therefore they are not regulating GMOs. In America, there are still no labeling of GMOs. The European Union require labeling foods with GMOs.

Most packaged foods contain ingredients derived from corn, soy, canola, and sugar beet. The vast majority of those crops grown in North America are GMOs.

Try to avoid GMOs as best as you can. The things you want to look out for are GMO soy, corn, wheat and canola oil.

Eat organic food to avoid GMOs. By eliminating GMOs, you will save not only yourself but also the environment.

So how do you eliminate your exposure to the unhealthy toxins mentioned in this blog post? Continue to the next section to learn ways to minimize your susceptibility to these poisons.