I was in the drugstore this morning to purchase a facial cleansing cream that my dermatologist recommended. I looked at the ingredients and I was dumbfounded. I don’t think I want to put half of those ingredients on my skin.

Then I thought about all the additives that are in  packaged and processed foods and  decided to make a list. I have a list of about 13 right now and may add on to that list. My problem is however, I would have to throw out just about everything on our pantry shelves if I follow my own advice and avoid this list of additives. The other problem is that I probably wouldn’t be able to purchase much in the way of canned goods or packaged anything. So now what do I do that I have all this information?

Buy organic for one thing. Cook most foods myself and I am doing that more often. And find the best solution by finding products that have the least amount of these  additives. Do they still use that add for Breyers ice cream where the kids are readying the long chemical names on some unknown brand of ice-cream? Then they read the Breyers label and it is basically cream, sugar, milk, and chocolate.

1.   Sodium Nitrate and Nitrate.  As a kid my stomach used to get distended whenever I ate hot dogs or baloney and I became uncomfortable. The same thing happened when I ate cheese tid bits. I had no idea what was going on but I cut way back on eating any of those kinds of foods and the snack cheese crackers. It is the nitrates that cause this. They are preservatives added to processed meat products such as ham, and lunch meats. They prevent the growth of bacteria and give the meat a healthy looking pink hue which can be deceptive at times. These compounds become cancer causing agents called nitrosamines in the stomach. Nitrosamines are among the most powerful carcinogens known and even small amounts can cause cancer. Nitrates are considered dangerous by the FDA but they are not banned because they do prevent botulism. Side effects include headaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and for me, a distended stomach. Health food stores offer a variety of nitrate/nitrate free meats.

2.    Avoid BHA and BHT

Butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydrozyttoluene preserve many foods. They also increase the risk of cancer and accumulate in body tissue causing liver enlargement. Animal studies link BHA with cancer. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services considers BHA to be considered as a carcinogen but they do not block its use. They are important to the food industry because they block the process of oil going rancid which can happen when oil is exposed to light. These additives are associated with moods, and they affect sleep and appetite. They have also been associated with liver and kidney damage, behavioral problems, and fetal abnormalities.

Do you have any foods you stay away from? Let us know about them and tell us how you found out and what you are doing now about the food.

To your health and aging success.

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Filed under: Fitness and Nutrition

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