4 Simple Rules to Avoid the Dangers Lurking in Your Pantry
Sep 12th 2014
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Do You Know What’s Hiding in Your Kitchen? If you look in your pantry or fridge, you are likely to find some sort of additive in your groceries, hidden in the ingredients list as “natural flavor” or “preservatives.”
Even if you are a conscious shopper it can be very hard to avoid, so we’re sharing the 4 simple steps we take to reduce the additives in our kitchen, and in our diet. Today, over 90% of Americans spend their food budget on processed foods.1 Artificial ingredients have been a threat in modern food culture for quite some time – but with the booming commercialization of processed food products and mass production, the threat is now at an all time high.
So what is the threat? Why are processed foods and additives bad? Unlike whole foods, processed foods have been treated, stripped of nutrients or refined in some way before they are sold to the public. These processes use chemicals and synthetic ingredients to change the natural behavior of your food. Maybe it’s just us, but we find that pretty disturbing.
What Are They? (See image to the right: We highlighted just a few of the additives found in this “healthy” snack.)
Artificial colors, such as Red 40 (Allura Red AC), Blue 1 (Brilliant Blue)or anything that begins with FD&C (FD&C Blue #2, FD&C Green #3, FD&C Yellow #6, etc.) are detrimental to children’s health and have even been confirmed to trigger hyperactivity3. Chemical preservatives such as Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA), Sodium Nitrate and Sodium Benzoate have been linked to circulatory dysfunction4. Dietary Additives such as Ascorbic acid from Vitamin C is primarily derived from GMO corn starch, corn sugar, or rice starch5, while Vitamin B1 is derived from coal tar6… Yes, that’s right—a fossil fuel. D vitamins are often extracted from various animal parts7. Even scarier, chemically formulated Vitamin A comes from methanol, benzene and petroleum ethers8. What Do We Do?!? We know you’re already careful about what you eat—So taking a few more steps to finally kick those additive-filled foods out of your kitchen is going to be a breeze! Step 1. Always read the ingredients!
Fresh organic fruits, vegetables, legumes and superfoods are always the safest bet! Look for a non-GMO or certified organic logo on grocery items (pre-packed organic foods are usually free of synthetic ingredients). Also, check out your local farmers markets! Step 2. Replace refined sugars with natural sweeteners. Changing out processed white or brown sugar is an effective way to hugely reduce your additive intake! Sugar can be replaced with Coconut Palm Sugar and syrups with Yacon, Agave Nectar or Coconut Palm Nectar. Just as yummy, without any harmful effects!
Step 3. Maintain your health with natural detoxification. Naturally ridding the body of harmful additives and toxins is as simple as drinking a green juice, taking a few drops of Marine Phytoplankton, or adding some crunchy Chlorella into your trail mixes. These green algae-based superfoods cleanse and replenish your system, gently flushing any unwanted ingredients out.
Step 4. Eat functional foods to prevent sickness. Functional foods such as Goji Berries, Golden Berries, Maqui Berry Powder, Camu Camu and Maca Root are naturally rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. When you consume these functional superfoods, you are fighting off free radicals and supporting your overall health! Kick the additive habit out of your home for good by replacing food from a lab with food from the earth!
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Almost all processed products contain additives which include:
Artificial sweeteners including Aspartame, Acesulfame-K, and Saccharin have been scientifically proven to be damaging to our DNA2. Beware of the term “Natural Flavors” on food packaging… these harmful ingredients are often labeled as such!
Here’s our simple rule: Can’t pronounce it? Don’t eat it! If it looks like your kid’s chemistry homework, it’s probably made in a lab…
1—Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. Schlosser, E. (2002) 2— Genotoxicity testing of low-calorie sweeteners: aspartame, acesulfame-K, and saccharin. Bandyopadhyay A1, Ghoshal S, Mukherjee A.(2008) 3—FDA FAC (Food and Drug Administration Food Advisory Committee). “Overview and Evaluation of Proposed Association Between Artificial Food Colors and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD) and Problem Behaviors in Children.” (2011) 4— Effect of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) on rat erythrocytes. Jayalakshmi CP, Sharma JD.(1986) 5 –Progress in manipulating ascorbic acid biosynthesis and accumulation in plants. Physiol Plant, Ishikawa T, Dowdle J, Smirnoff N (2006) 6—Determining bioavailability of food folates in a controlled intervention study. Am J Clin Nutr, Hannon-Fletcher MP (2004) 7—Vitamin D, rickets, and mainstream experts. Int J Naturopathy, Thiel R. (2003) 8—Vitamin A and Carotenoids. In Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, 10th ed. Lippincott William & Wilkins, Phil, Ross A.C. ( 2005)