Would you ever drink flame retardant? Would you eat lice shampoo? If the thought of consuming these products sounds crazy to you, you might be surprised to discover if you eat the Standard American Diet (SAD, which it is indeed!) full of processed foods, there’s a good chance you do eat or drink these chemicals… and more. It’s one of the scary (and gross) things about processed foods – they many contain chemical ingredients we would never consider eating if we knew what they were. But that’s the problem isn’t it? With the ubiquity of processed foods, in our busy lives our consciousness is not awake to what we are actually consuming. It’s time to wake up!
A number of the ingredients are banned in other developed nations because of their potential to harm human health- but not in the U.S.! I know…what the heck!! Let’s take a look at some toxic ingredients in processed foods, as well alternatives that support health instead of harming it.
Ingredient: Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO)
Foods that contain it: Sports drinks, citrus sodas
Also found in: Flame retardant
Where it’s banned: Japan, European Union
PepsiCo recently announced they would discontinue the use of BVO in several of their Gatorade flavors, although the ingredient will remain in both Mountain Dew and Diet Mountain Dew. Gee thanks PepsiCo! So what’s the problem with BVO? BVO can build up in body tissue, leading to toxic effects including:
- Memory loss
- Loss of muscle coordination
- Hormonal disruption
- Lesions
- Kidney disease
- Delayed or stalled brain development
Alternatives: Skip the soda, energy drinks, and other bottled beverages altogether. Instead, carry a BPA-free water bottle with you filled with clear, fresh water.
Ingredient: Azodicarbonamide
Foods that contain it: Dried pasta, bread, other wheat products
Also found in: Foamed plastics and synthetic leather
Where it’s banned: Australia, European Union, Singapore.
This ingredient is used to speed up how quickly flour bleaches. According to the World Health Organization, “Case reports and epidemiological studies in humans have produced abundant evidence that azodicarbonamide can induce asthma, other respiratory symptoms, and skin sensitization in exposed workers.”
Alternatives: Skip products containing bleached wheat. Instead, enjoy organic whole grains like quinoa or amaranth, which are delicious and full of nutrients.
Ingredient: Artificial coloring yellow 5, yellow 6, blue 1, blue 2(mostly made from coal tar)
Foods that contain it: Too many to list! But here’s a few: candy, sports drinks (those nasty things again!), fruit snacks, powdered drink mixes, cake mixes, some yogurts, ice cream…
Also found in: Lice shampoo, floor seal coating
Where it’s banned: European Union
Artificial colors have long been scrutinized as potential health hazards. Over the years, a number of artificial coloring ingredients have been banned because of their potential health risks. Recent studies suggest artificial colors and preservatives may aggravate ADHD symptoms in children. Likewise, a study on food color consumption showed an increase in inflammation, as well as possibly causing liver and kidney problems.
Alternatives: The great thing about natural, organic produce is it is colorful and appetizing without any chemical colorings or additives. If you’re looking for food that looks as pretty as it tastes, load up on fruits and veggies across the spectrum of color. The different colors in these natural foods indicate different vitamin and minerals. By eating a broad range of colorful produce, you’ll be certain you’re getting the vitamins and minerals your body needs – without artificial coloring.
Ingredient: Brominated flour (bromates)/potassium bromate
Foods that contain it: Breads and tortillas, crackers, other baked goods
Where it’s banned: United Kingdom, Canada, China, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Peru
There’s a good reason so many countries have banned potassium bromate. Studies show it is both carcinogenic and toxic to the kidneys. It may also induce thyroid and kidney tumors. If you live in California, this ingredient is a little easier to avoid. The state requires warning labels on foods containing it.
Alternatives: In The Beauty Detox Solution, I recommend avoiding wheat flour and products containing wheat flour. Instead, try organic gluten-free crackers, or use lettuce or a collard green or nori wrapper as a “wrap” when you really want a sandwich.
Ingredient: GMOs Foods
According to Mother Jones, at least 70 percent of processed foods in the United States contain GMOs
Where they are banned or restricted: Algeria, Thailand, Sri Lanka, European Union, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Paraguay, Australia, New Zealand
Genetically modified foods are pretty scary, given their relative short time in the food supply. GM foods weren’t even around until 1996. Now, thanks in large part to the patents chemical giant Monsanto has placed on seeds, it is becoming increasingly difficult for American farmers to keep GMOs out of their crops. (I highly recommend watching the documentary, David vs. Monsanto to learn more about this). According to a 2009 article in Critical Review of Food Sciences in Nutrition, GMOs may have a number of potential health risks, including:
- Kidney and liver issues
- Pancreatic problems
- Reproductive affects
- Severe allergic reactions
- Cancer
- Reactivation of viruses
- DNA damage or alteration
Alternatives: I recommend avoiding processed foods and any supplements like fish oil capsules because they have such a high rate of GMOs in them. Instead, eat organic natural foods such as fruits and vegetables, organic raw nuts and seeds and organic grains. What’s the bottom line?
The FDA continues to allow these ingredients in our processed food supply in spite of very real health concerns. There’s some scary stuff out there, and you have to be your own health advocate. Avoid processed foods, and when you do eat them, read labels carefully. If there’s an ingredient you don’t recognize, find something else to eat. In The Beauty Detox Solution and The Glowing Lean System, I teach you how to eat for vibrant good health, avoiding potentially toxic ingredients.
Let’s partner together to raise our consciousness between our diet and our overall health and well-being! Changing your diet will improve all aspects of your life.
What a great blog, thanks Kimberly
Hi ,
Is this also the case with flours ?? Im a type 1 diabetic and really need to have some carbs (to avoid hypos ) is it possible to get organic rhy flour etc and make some kind of flat bread and avoid these things ?
Oh my goodness I love this woman! Thank you Kimberly Snyder for giving us the TRUTH about so called harmless food- SAD. The illustrated vials of articial chemicals perfectly makes the point!
My husband has struggled with childhood asthma and, up until very recently, was always on a prescribed preventative inhaler. When he tried to stop taking it last year on a drs recommendation, the asthma seemed to have disappeared. We were ecstatic. Then we went to the Olive Garden for dinner one night. He started wheezing and needed a rescue inhaler. We went another time a couple of months later thinking it was the breadsticks and he would just avoid those. Nope. Pasta too. We don’t eat much wheat in our home, but I knew this wasn’t just wheat– this was something else. This post solved the mystery for us. This is a great post. Thank you.
Thank you, Kim. Very knowledgeable and insightful information. Makes so much sense when you put it all together…..thank you for sharing your love and beauty always!
Kimmy-
This has to be your most eye opening article yet! Loved it. Thank you so much.
I wish I could Pin this article!
Thanks for putting this post together; it’s good to remember these things and be able to share the information with loved ones. We must get the word out there for the knowledge to spread!
I found this extremely interesting and informative. Your link didn’t work as I received an error message back from you tube so just entered David vs Montsanto.
Thank you Kimberly! Very informative as always. :))
Reem
Yeah! Thanks so much! i am a pretty big sports guy, and all those facts on the Sports drinks got me a little scared, but since I stopped, I’ll do much better
Should I be concerned about organic whole wheat pastas and flours (other than the concerns with wheat in general)?
I think the safest way to solve the problem is to buy pasta made in Italy, which has banned the offending substance. Costco carries Garafolo organic pasta from Italy.
thank you very much Kimberly – I always read your e mails in full – and I like that you get right to the point, not 5 minutes of commercials etc etc – I bought your book – detox – and just lent it to my daughter , if you have other publications, cook books , let me know and I shall be happy to buy
keep up the good work
Hans
PS didn’t know about Azodicarbonamid – thanks
Great article, can you add a Facebook button so I can share it with my world.
Thanks
I agree with Mark! The information you mention in your blogs, especially this one needs to be shared. The quickest way to get information out is through the media…please put a “SHARE” icon on here so we can share!
Clearly other governments have banned many of these bad ingredients so why is our government so slow to do so? What can we do to get the attention of our government to start banning GMOs in our food?
That would require them to care… Unfortunately they don’t. Fund a local farmers market and get to know them and what they use. Many are proud to say they don’t use GMOs.
That is a good question, we should talk to the President about these bad ingredients that in our foods.
Give our politicians more money than Monsanto, and then I bet they’ll look into banning GMOs. If the government is doing nothing to stop Monsanto’s ridiculous lawsuits and their pursuit to be the only company out there, why would you think they care about what we eat? They have excellent health insurance, and more than enough money to afford to eat clean. (I had already seen David vs. Monsanto and it is a real eye opener, as is Food, Inc.)
Ohh wow! Is time to take action of the things that we eat. I can only say that this is very sad, that we used to eat that stuff.
we are the only country that use these chemicals what a shame.
Don’t forget the deadly Dihydrogen Monoxide, it’s in practically everything! Sign the petition here: http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/dhmo.htm
EDUCATE YOURSELF!
Water… why are you even wasting people’s time with this?
hi kimberly, what are your opinions following dr graham’s 80/10/10 diet? is it too much fruit (sugars)? is it nutritionally wholesome? would really love to hear your educated opinion on this. thanks so much!
Some people like me are not aware of the health risks that involve what we eat, I think its not too late for me especially to change and do away with them. Thanks Kimberly!!!
Hi: the video of David vs. Monsanto is terminated in YouTube, is there any other source?
How is that sports drink thing legal?
Wow. This is kind of scary. It’s hard to believe that I’ve eaten things that are actually banned in other countries. Thanks for posting. 🙂
Phew, am I glad I’m living in the European Union 🙂
Great article, shows the importance of eating organic food.