Food Additives & Ingredients to Avoid

A food additive is an unnecessary substance added to food to enhance its various qualities. Additives thicken, stabilize, preserve, color and flavor the foods we eat. Some additives are natural substances, like carmine for color and Vitamin E as a preservative, while others are synthetic, like artificial dyes. Both types have the potential to cause serious health problems if consumed regularly. Always read the labels of foods before you buy them so you know exactly what you are buying and eating.

Artificial Colors and Dyes

• Artificial colors are added to a variety of foods including baked goods, meats, gelatin, soda, candy, pet food and, rarely, Florida oranges. The purpose of artificial coloring is purely aesthetic. It provides no nutritional value and is usually found in foods that are unhealthy in large quantities. The most widely used artificial coloring is Red 40, but further testing is needed to determine possible consequences of long-term use. As of 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) consider artificial dyes safe.

Sugar

• Pure sugar and its synthetic counterpart, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), are both added to food to make it sweeter. HFCS is less expensive to produce than raw or processed sugar, making it a popular choice for beverage manufacturers. When eaten in excess, both types of sweeteners contribute to obesity, which can lead to more serious conditions, like heart disease and diabetes.

Salt

• Salt is a flavor-enhancing spice and is added to almost every type of processed food available. Common sources include meat, soup and potato chips. Elevated sodium levels increase blood pressure, making excess salt consumption one of the largest (and most preventable) contributing factors for cardiovascular disease.

Caffeine

• Caffeine is the only drug that is used liberally as a food additive. Caffeine is added to gum, soda and the increasingly popular energy drinks. Caffeine is considered unsafe for consumption by pregnant women and causes insomnia, the jitters and can lead to physical addiction.

Nitrites

• Nitrites are added to certain cured meats, like bacon, ham and lunch meats as preservatives that are supposed to prevent botulism. The addition of sodium along with the nitrites (sodium nitrite) enhances the color and prevents some meat from turning gray. When you fry foods like bacon, the nitrites become carcinogenic unless another additive, ascorbic acid, is added. Nitrites should be consumed in moderation because the foods that contain them are high fat and sodium.