While of course living an 80/20 or even 90/10 lifestyle leaves room for the occasional processed treat that may contain a few additives, it is important to know what is in the food that you eat on a regular basis and how it can affect you. When you take the time to thoroughly read all of the ingredients on a food label, how many of the words that you see are familiar, or that you can even pronounce? In this episode, we break down some of the most common food additives, how the scientific community classifies them, and what you should know about how they can affect the human body.
In this episode you’ll learn:
-What artificial flavors are and how they affect your body
-About preservatives and why companies opt to use them
How artificial flavors are made
About Diacetyl, the products it is used in, and how heat affects it
That flavored popcorn can have high amounts of Diacetyl
How Amanda and Chris make homemade popcorn
What monosodium glutamate (MSG) is and how it can affect the body
About artificial food coloring and its common uses and effects
About a few common foods that have artificial food coloring
Details on some of the main artificial colors to look out for: red #40, blue #1, yellow #5 and #6, caramel color
How artificial food colors can affect your genes
What the FDA stamp of approval means
About caramel color and it’s possible health effects
That artificial food colorings can promote hyperactivity in some
About the link between food dyes and hyperactivity in children
That there are some healthier choices when it comes to choosing sweets
That food coloring may affect ADHD symptoms in children
What it means when an artificial food dye crosses the blood/brain barrier
How the EU handles artificial food coloring in their products
How the elimination diet can help if you want to test how additives affect you
About the preservative propionate and how it may affect blood sugar levels, insulin sensitivity, and more
How the additives sodium nitrate and nitrite are made, what they’re commonly in, and how they can affect the human body
About sulfites and their link with asthma
About the common preservatives BHA and BHT and how they have been shown to affect the human body
How packaging additives like bisphenol can affect food and in turn, your body
What BPS is compared to BPA
Why it’s better to avoid heating items that contain BPS and BPA
About products that commonly contain phthalates and why you may want to avoid them
Some common prefixes for parabens to look for
Studies:
For Diacetyl (2,3-butanedione)
For MSG:
Food Coloring
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22176942
International Agency on the Identification of Carcinogenic Hazards to Humans: Agents Classified by the IARC Mongraphs, Volumes 1-125
Preservative Sources:
For BPA & BPS