“What’s for dinner tonight, honey?”
“Arsenic and biscuits.”
You may be eating toxic substances without even knowing it, even if you’re trying to avoid artificial foods…
The US may be the world’s wealthiest country, but it’s also the sickest among its peers. The Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council recently reported that, “Americans are sicker and die younger than other people in wealthy nations.”
Why is this?
It probably won’t come as a surprise when I tell you that the main reason is the FOOD on America’s plate (or, more often than not, the food in America’s take-out carton)…
People in the United States eat more processed food than people in any other population. Almost all of the average American’s grocery budget is spent on processed food (90 %!).
This is obviously because those foods are often more convenient and easier to prepare.
(Sidebar: why do Americans need so much convenience food? So we can work 5 different jobs to pay for soaring healthcare costs. Q.E.D. Does anybody see the irony? Shouldn’t we get off of this insane carousel…?)
The other reason of course is because processed (artificial) foods also last longer than natural foods, and the use of food dye and coloring can make processed food look a lot prettier than it really is. This is obviously because processed foods are chock-full of additives, which can be made-up of toxic substances.
Ah, but the FDA says, ipso facto, that these substances are NOT toxic. Skeptics cry out (no doubt into their cell phones on the drive between different employers) that these foods are safe because the FDA wouldn’t allow them to be sold if they were toxic.
America is a great country, so it’s hard to understand why most Americans don’t have passports- why would they want to leave? But this can also make us a little insular at times, and somewhat untrusting of anything outside these well-guarded borders.
Particularly regarding natural cures and healthy living, we would do well to look at foreign countries, especially ones where it’s as safe to drink the water as it is in good ol’ America.
What the FDA considers safe to put in food, other governments make ILLEGAL…
There are more than 3,000 additives in foods that are eaten daily by most of the United States that are illegal in other countries, like the UK and Canada. These additives have been banned in other countries because their ingredients can sometimes be poisonous. Not only that, they can also cause really terrible side effects.
During the processing of food, its nutrients, fibers, and flavors are lost, so the food processing companies add the missing ingredients, now toxic, back in. Let me show you how common they are and where they’re found. You’ll be surprised…
One of these harmful additives is Olestra, a fat-substitute found in healthy-sounding “fat-free” potato chips. It’s dangerous because it destroys the body’s fat-soluble vitamins. And a disgusting but extraordinarily common side effect? It can causes oily anal leakage! Who would want that?!
I’ve warned before about misleadingly labeled food that promises things like “Low Sugar!” or “Fat-Free!” More often than not you’re better off having the regular, natural version. For example, maple syrup may have more calories than maple FLAVOR syrup “Lite” but it’s natural (and is actually a proven detoxifier!).
Another common additive is brominated vegetable oil. It’s found in lots of sodas. This oil has been shown to cause cancer. It’s also made of bromine, a highly poisonous substance. Brominated flour (also made of bromine) is banned for the same reason. It’s used by food companies because it enhances the flavor of the food it’s in.
RBGH and RBST intake has been linked to cancers in the colon, prostate and breast. It’s found in processed milk and other seemingly innocent dairy products. These additives enter the milk because the cows that produce it are injected with a synthetic growth hormone, in order to boost milk production. It’s legal in the U.S. (despite the previous information) and the fact that it causes the injected cows to regularly become crippled and/or have udder infections is evidently overlooked by the FDA.
It gets worse…
It may surprise you to know that if you’ve had chicken that isn’t organic or naturally raised and fed, you’ve eaten arsenic. You may recognize this as a poison and not only is it that, but it is a carcinogen (cancer causing). The FDA allows it because it makes chicken meat appear, “pinker and, therefore, fresher.”
Good to know the FDA are fighting in taxpayer’s corners, eh?
BHA is found in beer and cereal, and has been found to cause cancer. BHT is found in butter as well as causing organ system toxicity.
Artificial colors FD&C Blue, Nos. 1 and 2 are commonly found in macaroni and cheese, soda, and cheeses. These colors are made from a cancer-causing material called coal tar. Coal tar is also a main ingredient in lice-killing shampoos.
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener found in Equal, NutraSweet and most diet sodas. It was found to be the reason for tumors growing in rats that had ingested it. This isn’t new either – this was first proven in the 70s!
MSG is one of the worst additive offenders, as it is insanely popular and not easily detected; it can be found in everything from baby formula to frozen dinners. It overexcites the body’s cells, which leads to neuron damage. Long term, this can lead to brain damage or diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Lou Gehrig’s.
You get the picture; there’s lots of nasty stuff that’s trying to kill us in most of the things we eat.
What do these foreign companies that sell these additive-enhanced food products overseas do?
They simply make the exact same product using fewer additives, sometimes without a single one! Since the substances can be used in the U.S. however, they can be made at a cheaper price there.
The simple secret is to eat fresh foods that are whole and not processed. This can take time to do, so don’t be discouraged, especially if you live in the United States. It will take time for you to lose your taste of over-processed, super-sweet processed foods.
Taking the time to not purchase foods with these additives is important if Americans want things to change. Take a hand in decreasing processed food sales, it’s an easy way to protest the current regulations! Nothing talks like money…
When you go grocery shopping, read all labels. If the list of ingredients is longer than your shopping list, put it back on the shelf!
I recently inspected jars of applesauce for my toddler daughter at two different grocery stores…
Both jars of applesauce were the same price and same quantity. One label had a long list of all kinds of ingredients.
Want to know what the ingredients were in the one I bought?
Apples. Nothing but apples.
I think even my daughter could figure that one out…
