10 Food Ingredients to Avoid in The Supermarket

There is so much one needs to look for when you are shopping at the supermarket. Price and quality are two but did you know that you also need to be looking for those sneaky food additives that many processed food contain. While you may have never really thought about these ingredients, you may have a change of heart after you read about the possible health issue that can result from these ingredients.

But before you decide you cannot eat anything, remember there are some safe and natural alternatives to these additives.

1. Sodium nitrates and nitrites

Many have heard of the dangers of “nitrates” and “nitrites” in processed meats. These additives have been linked to cancer. To avoid this ingredient, first cook your own meat at home and freeze it for later use. If you have to have processed meat then read the label. What you are looking for is “nitrate and/or nitrite-free or preservative-free” meat.

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2. Bisphenol A or BPA

Have you ever taken a look at the underneath side of the lid from a glass jar? Well, if you have not you may want to now. Many glass jar lids, some plastics, and even aluminum cans have a liner that is made of epoxy resin. This substance is suspected to cause cancer, infertility, and some irregularity in the growth of children. But what is one to do?

One easy thing you can do is to make sure to only purchase cans and plastic that is labeled BPA-free and do not use plastic to heat or reheat your food. Another option is to preserve your own food such as canning, drying, and freezing.

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3. Potassium or Sodium benzoate

Sodium benzoate and potassium benzoate are both used in soft drinks and juices to prevent the growth of mold. Now, these two preservatives are safe by themselves but when they combine with vitamin C and/or are exposed to light and heat they turn into benzene. What is the big deal about benzene? Well, it is a cancer-causing agent.

When comes to a natural approach to protecting the natural vitamin C in juices is to preserve your own by storing it in a dark container and freezing it. Another approach is to only buy drinks that have been pasteurized, which will eliminate the need for this preservative.

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4. Carrageenan

This is a food thickener that is made from red seaweed. It is normally found in low-fat dairy foods or non-dairy products but can also be found in surprising foods, which include canned soups, deli meats, and many prepared foods. Consuming products with this ingredient has been linked to gastrointestinal diseases, such as Crohn’s disease, colon cancer, and irritable bowel syndrome or IBS.

Before you get discouraged and think that without this food additive you will never again have creamed soup in a can, do not worry. There are safer ingredients such as locust bean gum and guar gum. Since carrageenan is also used to keep ingredients from separating you can simply stir the ingredients or in the case of milk, just give it a shake.

5. Hydrogenated oils (trans fats)

Hydrogenated oil is a fancy way of describing vegetable oil that has been processed in a way so that it has a longer shelf life in processed foods. These types of oils are normally found in fried foods and bakery goods. Now you may wonder what the big deal about trans fats is since most fats have some negative aspects to them. Well, trans fat themselves have been shown to raise cholesterol, which then increases the chances for heart disease and diabetes. Now that we know what it is and where it can be found, what can one do about it? The first approach is to read labels and do not fall for the “0 grams trans fats per serving.” While this is true, if you really take a look at the label what you end up with is a product that has half a gram of trans fats, which is splitting hairs since the consumer simply believes that there are no trans fats in the product. Another approach is to cook your own food. Doing this simple task will allow you to truly say that your baked muffins have 0 trans fats.

6. Enriched wheat

Have you ever wondered why so many supplements such as B vitamins, vitamin E, and fiber are added to the ingredients of products made with enriched wheat? Well, the enriched term tells the whole story. In products that contain enriched wheat, the wheat itself has been stripped of the bran and endosperm. This means there is no nutritional value to the wheat, which means it needs to be added.

Now that we have come full circle, what is a healthy alternative? The simplest alternative is to buy products that contain whole wheat. If wheat is not your thing, make sure to purchase products with whole grains only to avoid the stripping of the grain itself. This easy step will make sure that nutrients in the food come from the food and not added or enriched.

7. Oils (corn, vegetable, soybean)

When it comes to oils, many people get way too much of this ingredient especially when their diet is high in processed food. The problem stems from the amount of omega-6 that these oils contain. Diets high in these oils cause inflammation and their symptom can lead to many different problems. The other issue that comes from these oils is the fact that if they oxidize, the level of inflammation increases.

Now, the question to answer is what to do. When cooking food, you will need some type of oil to keep it from sticking but no oil is free from causing health problems. To reduce the amount of omega-6 in your food, you can cook with butter, lard, and olive oil. Keep in mind though that these oils have issues themselves. Another approach is to not consume processed food and resort to cooking all your foods yourself so you can control the amount and type of oil.

8. Sugar in all forms

Sugar is such a generic term when there are so many terms to choose from. This includes honey, sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, agave syrup, and sugar alcohol. This latter collective term includes such things as mannitol, glycerol, xylitol, sorbitol, erythritol, and maltitol. These sugar alcohols are not sugar or alcohol but they are sweet in flavor and have fewer calories but they do cause health problems diarrhea, flatulence, and bloating. But, what is one to do? One choice is to use stevia as your “sugar” flavoring.   When using the leaves of this plant to flavor your food, keep in mind that it is 150 times sweeter than sugar. Another alternative is to go to your spice cabinet and pull out some cinnamon, sweet basil, sweet cicely, and tarragon.

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9. Artificial flavors and colors

Anytime the term “artificial” is used when one is talking about food, the result typically tends to be negative. Artificial simply means it was made in a lab and not by Mother Nature. While what these ingredients can do to the human body is not fully understood, it is always better to eat food naturally. As far as replacing artificial flavors, one only needs to visit the spice aisle in the supermarket. You will be amazed at the choices and flavors available in this isle. The same goes for color. Spices add unbelievable color to dishes in a natural way. Now do not limit yourself to dried herbs. Fresh herbs can also add flavor and color to any dish.

In a nutshell, you do not need artificial flavors and/or colors if you are cooking with natural ingredients and allowing the fresh food to flavor itself.

10. Artificial sweeteners

The key term when one is considering artificial sweeteners is the term “artificial.” Many times, anything that is not made my Mother Nature typically is not healthy for the human body. You may be wondering what I am talking about and while this list is short artificial sweeteners include saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame, just to name a few. The problems caused by these artificial sweeteners in small amounts is not really known, they are recognized to cause weight gain, migraines, and cancer in high amounts. They are also suspected to change the bacteria in the gut.

To avoid artificial sweeteners, one can go for products that contain sugar. This, in itself, can cause its own problems but do not throw your hands up in the air and go I give. There are healthy choices. The first is to learn to like the natural taste of food or drink, such as unsweetened tea. If this is not possible, consider adding herbs that are known for their sweetness to your dishes and drinks.  This includes sweet basil, cinnamon, real vanilla, and licorice.

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