Some chemicals have always been part of our food and food items. We generally ignore or treat them as harmless while eating, but they can be harmful as they are chemicals. They are generally used as ingredients in fast foods, snacks or even in homecooked food. But they can be dangerous as they can induce certain health-related problems and affect our overall well-being.
There are chemicals such as monosodium glutamate, sodium nitrite, and guar gum which are commonly added to processed foods as a preservative or to enhance taste and texture. Many of these chemicals are often added intentionally and are even prominently found in food labels.
Types of chemicals used in food
The list is vast but some of the most common chemicals that we often get to eat in our food are:
Monosodium Glutamate
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is often added to restaurant foods, chips, canned vegetables, instant noodles, soups, deli meats and other foods to enhance flavour. It is considered a safe food ingredient in many countries as compared to salt but its use as a food additive is quite debatable as there is no direction regarding its quantity. However several studies in animals have shown that MSG is toxic to various organs such as the liver, brain, thymus, and kidneys.
There are many cases where people have reported being sick due to reactions after consuming MSG-containing food. The chronic consumption of MSG-containing food has been reported to cause oxidative stress on internal organs like the kidneys and liver. The symptoms can be a headache, hot flushing, sweating, weakness in limbs, chest pain, numbness in the face and neck and an increase in heartbeat.
Artificial food coloring
You may be eating colourful cake frostings, pies, desserts, candy, drugs, cereals and chewing gums, there are icecreams and sweets whose colour makes them mouthwatering. Natural food does not have that bright colouring after conventional cooking or baking. Artificial food colours are generally used to make the food appealing to the eyes.
Do you know that most artificially coloured foods are coloured with synthetic petroleum-based chemicals called dyes not found in nature? Artificial food colours are often added to food to replace colour lost due to exposure to light, air, temperature extremes, moisture and storage conditions.
But we mostly ignore the colour additives as it is consumed once in a while. It is important to know that the consumption of artificial food colours leads to the problem of depression, memory loss and aggressiveness. Regular use of products with colour additives also leads to allergies, skin irritation and congestion of the kidneys.
Common food additives can be identified by reading labels while purchasing food. These dyes may be listed under their chemical names such as Allura Red, Tartrazine or Indigotine. Food dyes can be detrimental to our health and can be cancer-causing and immunity-disrupting. It is better to look at labels and stop buying food with colour additives and encourage the use of natural colouring in the food industry and at home.
Sodium nitrite
Sodium nitrite is a yellowish-white, odourless powder and multifunctional food additive, responsible for the characteristic colour and flavour in cured meats. It also provides protection against toxin formation in cured meats, prevents the growth of harmful bacteria, adds a salty flavour, and makes the meat appear red or pink. Cured or processed meats — bacon, sausage, hot dogs, and ham, as well as deli meats such as chicken, turkey, roast beef, and salami — often contain added nitrates and nitrites.
While sodium nitrite is an effective preservative, it also has some serious drawbacks. The most serious concern is that it can form cancer-causing compounds called nitrosamines. These nitrosamines can be formed when sodium nitrite reacts with certain proteins in meat. It has also been linked to the development of heart disease and diabetes. So it is better to avoid this ingredient and the food that contains it.
High fructose corn syrup
HFCS can be found in numerous processed foods, including canned foods like soups, canned fruits cereals and baked goods, desserts, sweetened and flavoured dairy products (eg, yoghurt, condiments, and jellies), candies, and many fast food items. Added sugars and high fructose corn syrup HFCS are considered primary causes of obesity in many people.
Weight gain abetted by high-calorie foods containing HFCS can also contribute to heart disease, diabetes, fatty liver disease and dyslipidemia, an abnormal level of cholesterol and other fats in the blood. its excessive intake to many serious health issues, including obesity, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome, The easiest way to reduce your intake of HFCS is to cut back on the amounts of sugar-sweetened beverages, packaged baked goods, and other highly processed foods you're consuming.
Sodium benzoate
Sodium benzoate is one of the most common chemical food preservatives. Sodium benzoate is a common preservative used in acidified food such as fruit juices, jams, pickles, preserves, and fruit cocktails. Sodium benzoate inhibits the growth of potentially harmful bacteria, moulds, and other microbes in food, thus deterring spoilage. It's particularly effective in acidic foods ( 6 ).
Therefore, it's commonly used in foods, such as soda, bottled lemon juice, pickles, jelly, salad dressing, soy sauce, and other condiments. While sodium benzoate is considered safe, scientists have shown that negative side effects occur when it's mixed with ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Their studies indicate that it then turns into benzene, a known carcinogen that may cause cancer. Other problems reported are Abdominal or stomach pain or cramps, blurred vision, decreased urine, dry mouth, fatigue, flushed or dry skin and increased hunger.
Trans fats
Trans fats are made when liquid oils are turned into solid fats, like shortening or margarine. These are called partially hydrogenated oils (Trans fat is considered the worst fat to eat. Although the food industry has greatly reduced the use of trans fat in recent years, this type of fat may still be found in many fried, packaged, or processed foods, including Anything fried and battered, shortening and sticking margarine, commercially baked cakes, pies, and cookies.
Refrigerated dough Unlike other dietary fats, trans fats or trans-fatty acids raise "bad" cholesterol and lower "good" cholesterol. A diet laden with trans fats increases the risk of heart disease, the leading killer of adults. Trans fats raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol. They lower your HDL (good) cholesterol. High LDL and low HDL levels can cause cholesterol to build up in your arteries (blood vessels). This increases your risk for heart disease and stroke. How do you avoid trans fat? Eat more whole foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, lean meats, fish, nuts, and lean poultry.
The use of chemicals makes food unfit for human consumption and can be deadly sometimes, make your food choices mindfully to preserve your and your loved ones' health
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