health articles

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) currently lists about 2,800 international food additives and about 3,000 chemicals that are deliberately added to our food supply each year. Including chemicals used in food production from ground to stomach, the number rises to between 10,000 and 15,000.

Some of you already do read the labels to avoid the chemicals. While you think you might be safe, you may very well be duped! Since the FDA doesn't require any food additive Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS) to be listed on a label, all you'll see is "artificial flavoring", "artificial coloring", or even the word natural. The average American eats approximately his or her body weight in food additives each year, or about 150 pounds. Of that amount, as much as 15 pounds or more will be flavoring agents, preservatives and dyes - hundreds of which are on the FDA's GRAS list. But don't for a minute think the FDA is looking out for our well being. To save time and money, the FDA allows the food and additive manufacturers to notify them of the GRAS status of their additives and they're allowed to provide their own evidence to support their claim! Isn't that like asking a cigarette or drug manufacturer to make sure they provide evidence that their products are safe?

 

An additive is removed from the GRAS list only after reports accumulate citing its damaging effects. With that in mind, what are the chances of a doctor notifying the FDA that a patient suffered adverse reactions to acetaldehyde, acetic acid or agar when neither is listed as anything other than a "food additive" because they're on the GRAS list? Acetaldehyde is known to be an irritant to the mucous membranes, is a central nervous system depressant and in large doses may cause death. Acetic acid may cause gastrointestinal distress, skin rashes, and eye irritations. Agar may cause flatulence, bloating, and may have the same effect as a laxative.

 

Don't be fooled by the term natural either. Insects, insect larvae, monkey guts, and even mercury are all "natural" and are just a  few of the natural items that end up in your food. Food manufacturers like to play with your perception of what given words mean, and they know that if they can label an additive as natural, the health conscious consumer is more likely to purchase it, yet just because something is natural doesn't mean it's better for you. After all, alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and cocaine are all natural, but none of them are necessarily good for you.

 

Nutrition becomes one of the most important elements in preventive medicine. Know what you eat and educate yourself about not only the foods that will serve you best but about the common foods that may be linking you to disease. Knowledge is power.

 

Suggested reading: Twinkie Deconstructed by Steve Ettinger; Eating Between the Lines by Kimberly Lord Stewart.

 

For more reading:

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/grasguid.html#Q2 Read for yourself the FDA admitting that it does not require pre-approval for use of a GRAS ingredient.

 

Information for this article obtained through the book, How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy by Paul Chek