Content
Some food additives that are added to industrialized products to make them more beautiful, delicious, colorful and also to increase their shelf life can be bad for your health, and can cause diarrhea, hypertension, allergy and even cancer, for example.
This is mainly due to excessive consumption of chemicals, which can be harmful in the long run.
Therefore, before buying a food it is very important to read the label and, if the list of ingredients is very long or is not simple to understand, it is best not to buy that product and opt for a slightly more "natural" version.
List of main additives to avoid
In this table are some examples of artificial food additives that can affect health and should be avoided, as well as the problems they can cause:
E102 Tartrazine - Yellow Dye | Liqueurs, fermented, cereals, yogurt, gums, candies, caramels | Hyperactivity, asthma, eczema, hives, insomnia |
E120 Carminic Acid | Cider, energy drinks, gelatin, ice cream, sausages | Hyperactivity, asthma, eczema and insomnia |
E124 Red Dye | Soft drinks, gelatin, gums, candies, jellies, jams, cookies | Hyperactivity, asthma, eczema and insomnia, can cause cancer |
E133 Bright Blue Dye | Dairy, candies, cereals, cheeses, fillings, gelatin, soft drinks | It can accumulate in the kidneys and lymphatic vessels, causing hyperactivity, asthma, eczema, hives, insomnia, cancer. It is a dye absorbed by the intestine and can make the stool green. |
E621 Monosodium Glutamate | Ready seasonings, instant dough, potato chips, snacks, pizza, condiments, diet products | At low doses it leads to increased activity of brain cells and can destroy neurons quickly, impairing the correct functioning of the brain. It is contraindicated in patients with bipolar disorder, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy and schizophrenia.
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E951 Aspartame | Sweeteners, diet sodas, candies, chewing gum | In the long run it can be carcinogenic. The amount of 40 mg / kg per day should not be exceeded. |
E950 Potassium Acesulfame | Sweeteners, gums, industrialized fruit juices, cookies, industrialized dairy desserts | Consumed in the long run it can be carcinogenic. |
Preservatives and other food additives may appear on the label only in the form of acronyms or with their name written in full, as shown in the table.
E471 and E338 additives, although they can be dangerous, still need more scientific proof of the possible damage they can cause to health.
What food additives do not affect health?
Some types of food additives are natural, as they are removed from food and do not harm health, such as, for example, E100 Curcumin, E162 Beet Red, Betanine and E330 Citric Acid. These can be consumed with ease because they are not harmful to health.
How to identify additives in food
All additives used to make processed foods must be on the ingredient list on the product label. In general, they come with strange and difficult names, such as emulsifiers, stabilizers, thickeners, anti-binding agents, glutamate monosodium, ascorbic acid, BHT, BHA and sodium nitrite, for example.
How to avoid additives
To avoid overuse of food additives, one should always prefer to consume foods in their natural form, such as grains, fruits, vegetables, meat and eggs. In addition, it is important to choose organic foods, as they are produced without pesticides and without artificial chemicals, helping to maintain health.
Another important tip is to always read the food label and prefer those with few ingredients, avoiding those with strange names or numbers, as they are usually food additives.