Check Your Additive Intake. . .

Have you read the ingredient label of your breath mint lately?  Sugar, maltodextrin, tartaric acid, natural and artificial flavors, rice starch, gum arabic, filling agent (magnesium stearate), artificial colors, and glazing agent (carnauba wax) – these are the ingredients that comprise a tic tac.  Incorporating artificial substances in our food for glamour, taste and preservation is normal practice which has not been given the attention it deserves. Food additives are substances that are added to our daily foods to increase shelf life.  In order to effectively manage government resources, the FDA has given the manufacturer the decision making power to decide whether or not a new ingredient is considered safe enough to add to foods.  This means that a manufacture can internally hire a subject matter expert to deem a new ingredient as “GRAS”, “Generally Recognized as Safe”. 

The research has revealed that it is affecting your health brutally and silently. In this article we are going to elaborate the tribulations of food additives which have gone unnoticed.

Types of Food Additives:

There are usually two types of food additives:

·         Direct

·         Indirect

Direct Food Additives: The direct food additives are added to your food for a specific purpose such as sugar or salt. These additives are sometimes labeled by the production companies, who are registered under the FDA, in a flaunting way.

Indirect Food Additives: Indirect food additives are substances that are added to your food undercover for the purpose of more production, storage, and coloring of products and are the detrimental substances to overall well being.

Taking a closer look at a tic tac’s ingredients, maltodextrin is an artificial sugar which is made mostly from corn starch and has a glycemic index of 130 (table sugar is only 65).  This amount of sugar in your body will turn into fat if it is not burned off from exercise.  In addition, most of the corn used for production is GMO sourced.  Maltodextrin has been associated with Chrohn’s disease and has the same side effects as other additives, including, allergic reactions, weight gain, bloating and flatulence.   It is a very common additive and you will find it in most of your foods.  The more you consume it, the more harmful it is to your health.  The FDA does not factor in the overall diet of an individual when determining an ingredient as “Generally Recognized as Safe”. 

Avoiding Food Additives is now everyone’s responsibility!

Avoiding additives in what you eat can be an important step in order to enhance your health and lower the risk of new diseases. Hazardous food additives can be artificial sweeteners, sodium chloride salt, food coloring, food preservers, production additives, olestra in potato chips and much more. Foods that contain additives affect your health and especially those with immediate effects may decrease your levels of energy. They may also have an effect on your mental concentration, immune responses or behavior. Those having long-term effects may expand the risks of cancer, and additives overall are causing universal hazards to the health of families, mostly children.

The best advice to any individual is to read labels carefully and avoid these ingredients whenever possible.  So switch to an additive free diet due to its harmful health effects and replace it with natural solutions that offer super health benefits.  In terms of freshening up your breath, give Moondan a try.  It is completely natural and much more effective on your breath than a tic tac.  Try it for yourself!