Food Additives - When Artificial Is Not Intelligent

By Serenity Raj    
food label,
Paleo diet is one of the popular diets that call for the consumption of food in its freshest, most natural form. This means pre-packaged and processed food products should definitely be out of your nutrition equation. This presents a serious challenge for everyone since most of the readily available products sold on the market today have mostly undergone some form of processing.

If you are to be asked, "What's in a can of olives?" Your brain would probably zero in on one obvious fact - olives. Most people tend to think that a can of olives is only made up of a single ingredient, olives. But if you will take time to read the label, you will probably come across a number of other foreign-sounding ingredients like ferrous gluconate. This is probably nothing in comparison to a wide variety of other complex ingredients you will find in canned goods and frozen food products.

There are even some brands purportedly labelled and sold as Paleo-friendly ones like canned broth contain some unfamiliar ingredients. So while not all food additives pose serious threat to human health, it pays to know ones that you need to steer clear from.

Food Color. These are chemical compounds that are commonly made from coal tar derivatives in order to enhance color. This particular food additive has been closely linked to a number of problems including allergic reactions, skin rashes, headaches, hyperactivity, asthma and fatigue, among others.

Artifical Flavorings. This refers to some inexpensive chemical mixtures that are specifically formulated to mimic natural food flavours. Regular and excessive consumption of artificial flavourings has been closely associated to eczema, asthma, dermatitis and allergic reactions. It has also been found to affect the thyroid, RNA and enzymes.

Artificial Sweeteners. These are chemically derived and highly processed form of sweeteners, often with zero calories. It has been found to adversely impact the metabolism. It has also been linked to headaches, dizziness and certain forms of cancer.

Benzoate Preservatives. These are compounds typically used to prevent fat and prevent it from becoming rancid. This particular food additive is found to trigger hyperacitivity, dermatitis, asthma rhinitis, angioderma and tumors. It is also believed to affect the body's estrogen balance.

Brominated Vegetable Oil. This food additive is widely used to boost the flavour of soft drinks and citric-based fruit drinks. In studies, this has been found to damage the thyroid, testicles, liver, kidneys and the heart. In addition, it has been linked to the increase in cholesterol and triglycerides.

These are just a few of the common food additives found in many of the food products sold on the market today. Hopefully this article will provide more motivation for everyone to recognize the viability of the Paleo diet and the importance of eating fresh, organically grown food.

Serenity Raj regularly writes for http://www.paleodietrecipes.org.uk, providing insightful articles promoting the benefits of the Paleo diet and healthy living. Visit the website to gain better understanding on how you can thrive eating fresh and healthy whole foods in the modern world.
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