| Before all this processed and convenient food, people | | | | soups, salad dressings, chips, frozen entrees, and |
| used to just eat plain old food, like potatoes and | | | | restaurant food. It can cause headaches and nausea, |
| vegetables. Now we barely ever get potatoes and | | | | and animal studies link it to damaged nerve cells in the |
| vegetables unless it comes out of a can, bag or | | | | brains of infant mice. |
| container. | | | | Aspartame, also known by the brand names |
| Just because it is more convenient for us to rip open a | | | | NutraSweet and Equal, is a sweetener found in |
| bag and dump our food into the pot doesn't mean it's | | | | so-called diet foods such as low-calorie desserts, |
| good for us. In fact it's just the opposite. | | | | gelatin, drink mixes, and soft drinks. It may cause |
| I once heard a guy say something that I've never | | | | cancer or neurological problems, such as dizziness or |
| stopped picturing. He was talking about the food we | | | | hallucinations. |
| put in our bodies and he made a comparison of fresh | | | | And here are some colors for you. Blue 1 and 2, found |
| food as opposed to processed food. He was saying | | | | in beverages, candy, baked goods and pet food, have |
| that if you put fresh food in the ground it will become | | | | been linked to cancer in mice. Red 3, used to dye |
| one with the ground but if you put processed food in | | | | cherries, fruit cocktail, candy, and baked goods, has |
| the ground it will become moldy. | | | | been shown to cause thyroid tumors in rats. Green 3, |
| I look at it that way now. If I can't throw it in my | | | | added to candy and beverages, have been linked to |
| compost when I'm done then how good is it sitting in | | | | bladder cancer. The widely used yellow 6, added to |
| my body? Our food is filled with preservatives and | | | | beverages, sausage, gelatin, baked goods, and candy, |
| additives. | | | | has been linked to tumors of the adrenal gland and |
| Food is not meant to last for years on the shelf. So | | | | kidney. |
| we add preservatives and additives to our food so | | | | I was actually stunned to learn about Cochineal coloring |
| that it can sit there for years on the shelf and then | | | | not long ago. It's bug juice. No seriously it juice that |
| after it's sat there we finally decide to eat it, and the | | | | squished out of bugs. That's disgusting. It's also called |
| chemicals. | | | | carmine, Natural Red 4, C.I. 75470, or E120. Because it's |
| So let's go through some common preservatives and | | | | considered natural there is no requirement to label it as |
| additives. | | | | what it really is but unfortunately in some people it has |
| Sodium Nitrate (also called Sodium Nitrite) is a | | | | been known to cause severe allergic reactions and |
| preservative, coloring, and flavoring commonly added | | | | anaphylactic shock. As well it's not giving vegetarians |
| to bacon, ham, hot dogs, luncheon meats, smoked fish, | | | | or vegans a right to choose. It's more than likely in your |
| and corned beef. Studies have connected eating it to | | | | yogurt. |
| various types of cancer. | | | | I used to be a, it tastes better with color victim, even |
| BHA and BHT are known to cause liver and kidney | | | | though now I know that just because the cheddar |
| dysfunction and are banned in some European | | | | cheese is yellow doesn't mean it tastes better than the |
| countries. | | | | white cheddar. |
| MSG is an amino acid used as a flavor enhancer in | | | | |