Which food additives are bad?

We’ve all been there. We just bought an unusually bright neon dessert, looked at the nutrition facts, and saw a couple ingredients we weren’t quite sure how to pronounce. Here are a couple of food additives to look out for, particularly if you have children:

1.      BPA (Bisphenol A)

2.      Phthalates

3.      PFCS (Perfluoroalkyl Chemicals)

4.      Perchlorate

5.      Artificial Colors

6.      Nitrates and Nitrites

The burning question in everyone’s mind is, why aren’t these banned? The FDA reports that it cannot review GRAs (generally recognized as safe) additives because more than 10,000 chemicals are used in foods or food packaging. They essentially don’t have enough authority or resources to effectively review these additives. A lot of foods actually remain on the grocery shelf for a limited time even though they may have recently been declared a human carcinogen. Here’s how to avoid these additives:

  1. Focus on eating fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables

  2. Avoid processed meats

  3. Don’t microwave food or drinks in plastic

  4. Don’t wash plastic in the dishwasher

  5. Use glass or stainless steel instead of plastic

  6. If using plastic, avoid those with recycling codes 3 (phthalates), 6 (styrene), and 7 (BPA)

  7. Wash hands before handling food and drinks, and wash all fruits and vegetables that cannot be peeled

If you want more information, you can view the original article on the dangerous food additives here.

BlogAmy Gray