Toxic foods

Over the last seven years of writing this column, I have disproportionately written about nutrition more than any other health and fitness topic. One of the reasons I do this is food, in its many variations, overwhelmingly defines our health.

This nutritional intersection of food and health defines our long-term wellness. Exercise and dieting will not and cannot overcome a poor and in some cases, toxic diet. Here in the U.S. more so than other developed countries, we are constantly bombarded by chemicals, poisons and toxins that were introduced during manufacturing to our food supply. The advances in food science, chemistry and industrialized food processing introduce a vast number of unhealthy compounds into what we eat on a daily basis.

For example, let’s take just two of the most popular sweeteners that are found in so many of our everyday food items. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and aspartame. Both substances are chemical formulas developed in a lab. Both substances are deemed safe for consumption by the FDA, but research and common sense indicates these sweeteners have and do cause adverse health effects in our bodies. Aspartame is made from three key components: phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol or wood alcohol. Research has found this supposedly safe sweetener has a neurotoxic effect, especially to children. Many European countries have banned aspartame from children’s food products.

High fructose corn syrup is not used in a number of countries. For example, a major fast food chain deals with these concerns in this way: In the U.S. the company uses a strawberry sauce that includes high fructose corn syrup, Red No. 40 and sodium benzoate. In Europe, the same company serves the strawberry sauce with 37 percent real strawberries in its product, no HFCS and no additional dyes, flavoring or harmful preservatives. This is just one example of how many toxic food additives remain in use here in the U.S., but get addressed when exported to countries with higher food standards and guidelines. Now it could be argued that we in the U.S. enjoy relatively lower food costs than the rest of the world. However, our health care costs are some of the highest in the world, so you be the judge.

Here are six unhealthy food additives, one being a modified fat, that should be avoided when you select what foods to eat:

1. Trans fat has been shown to contribute to heart disease more than any other fat. While most health care professionals recommend you keep trans fat out of your diet, food manufacturers continue to formulate trans fats into many of the foods we buy for consumption. New labeling guidelines from the FDA will address this in coming years by requiring trans fat content to be listed.

2. Artificial sweeteners such as saccharin, acesulfame, aspartame, neotame and sucralose should be avoided. Some of these sweeteners come with more of a health risk than others, but they all come with potential adverse health concerns. A number of research studies have linked artificial sweeteners to cancer and tumors in rats. In humans, they seem to have a neurotoxic effect on our brains and can affect our ability to crave more sweets and caloric intake, triggering overeating.

3. Chemical preservatives such as Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA), Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT), Propyl Gallate and Sodium Nitrate/Nitrites, all these substances come with health concerns. Research studies find them carcinogenic in lab animals and health effects on human consumption is unclear. It is recommended to at least limit the amount of these you consume and a very good way to do this is to include a fair amount of whole fresh foods in your diet daily. Keep in mind the FDA categorizes these food additives as GRAS — generally recognized as safe, which means they are considered safe as far as current research knows. The FDA is not exactly taking an absolute position on safe to eat with these compounds.

4. Chemical flavor enhancers are found mostly in junk food and candy. These flavor enhancers show up on labeling usually identified as a number like 621, 622 and so forth. You often see them listed as calcium or sodium caseinate, extracts and hydrolyses oils. Many of these compounds have a neurotoxic effect on our brains and can cause fatigue, headaches, nausea and other unwanted symptoms to those sensitive to these chemicals. Foods with flavor enhancers should be avoided or greatly limited.

5. Artificial Colors such as Blue No. 2, Citrus Red No. 2, Green No. 3, Red No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6 in foods should be avoided. Studies have found children can be particularly sensitive to adverse effects of these food dyes. With children, these compounds have caused allergic reactions, hyperactivity and altered behavior. These artificial food dyes have so many health risks tied to them that some mainstream health food stores have banned them from their shelves.

6. Chemical stabilizers and thickeners which allow foods to retain their creamy consistency or keep them from separating, helping maintain shelf stability, are very common. These stabilizers and thickeners include compounds such as gum arabic, furcelleran, gelatin, guar gum, carrageen, locust bean, tragacanth and xanthan gum. Many of these substances are considered natural, but they are extracts that can cause mild to severe allergic reactions. Digestive problems have been linked to some of these stabilizers and studies in lab animals have shown adverse health reactions. Again, these are compounds that should be avoided; limit your exposure by reading labels and eating fresh whole foods.

Our highly processed food supply filled with these chemicals and compounds can be directly tied to the fact the U.S. has dropped to 49th place in the world in overall life expectancy. Many of these chemicals have a toxic effect on our health and add to our epidemic of obesity, diabetes and cancers that overwhelm our health care system. Read labels and choose your foods carefully.

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Judd Jones is a director for The Hagadone Corporation in Coeur d’Alene.