Comments on: 8 Chemical Food Additives You Should Avoid

By: John

John — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:47:31 +0000

I’m always amazed at people using artificial sweeteners because they are a “healthy” alternative. When you try to gently educated them, they usually respond with “If I worried about everything that was killing me, I’d be dead already! Ha Ha!”. But, it’s really not funny.

By: Talima

Talima — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 12:46:11 +0000

this helped me wit ma hw
so thanks

By: Nancy

Nancy — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 08:24:34 +0000

Hi. I appreciate this list You can also find potassium bromate on some of kraft’s packages such as their pumpkin seeds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx2hd6u2NQ0

By: Taylor

Taylor — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:22:41 +0000

So this basically means we can’t eat:

Fried Food, Restaurant Food, Microwave Popcorn, Margarine, Crackers, Chips, Packaged Cookies and Cakes, Fast Food, Deli Meats, Canned Goods, Crackers, Chips, Processed/Packaged Foods, Soda, Candy, Juice, Packaged Baked Goods, Frosting, Gelatin, Fruit Cocktail, Sausage, Diet Soda, Sweetener Packets, Sugar-Free Food Products, Microwave Popcorn, Butter-Flavored Anything, Pringles Light, Lay’s Light, Ham, Hotdogs, Bacon, Canned Meats/Fish, Corned Beef, and White Flour Bread/Grain Products.

That’s all well and good. But what CAN we eat? Produce is having a problem with pesticides and bacteria, apparently the cows have all gone mad, and we can’t eat any of the things listed above.

That leaves us on… what, cheese and fish? (but only the non-canned kind!)

And if you don’t like cheese or fish, I guess you just keel over and die, then?

Unless you happen to have a couple of spare acres in your back yard to farm with. Does that mean that everyone in the cities is going to be cancerous and obese?

By: Elaine

Elaine — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:16:27 +0000

Gunther, I have issues with food digestion, and have recently been scouring the web a bit for help….I do find dairy to hurt me…and other things, too. A site I look at a bit is Your Digestive Health channel on everydayhealth. I now carry a supply with me of Beano (an enzyme to aid digestion in lots of things), charcoal capsules, and Lactaid Ultra. I am much improved as long as I am careful and do what I should!! Good luck!

By: Lauren

Lauren — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:00:26 +0000

Look, we’re all trying to avoid trans fat and high sodium and Olestra nowadays, but food dyes? Honestly, how are we supposed to cut out food dyes, unless we plan on being vegan for the rest of our lives?

By: Phil

Phil — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 22:50:39 +0000

Hey Ben

I like how all of your objections have pretty serious charges against them that they some how got off of..just look at the back of a NutraSweet package.. the point is all of these additives are just not natural and even if they existed in a natural stage at some point they were extracted and altered. I think what the editor is trying to say is that eat natural eat healthy! Ben now you can go back to lobbying in Washington for your chemically fortified foods.

- Phil

By: Gunther

Gunther — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 22:25:38 +0000

It’s unfortunate that indignant consumers of unhealthy products feel the need to -in defending their stubborn and unchanged consumption- persuade everyone else that they are right.

Chemical additives in their natural context, Ben, are usually not going to do anyone much harm, but consider the consequences of isolating them, and adding them in large amounts to all sorts of junk food we eat. And who decided butter had no unstudied health detriments besides those already known to us? Butter was never healthy to start.

For example, everyone knows that oil is generally bad for you because it is ISOLATED fat, but meat, nuts, wheat, avocados and whole sources of oil are extremely healthy because of the fiber, starches, protein, minerals, vitamins, and phytochemicals that accompany those oils. Lipids (fats) are also important for survival, and immune, and cellular function.

Vic, if your comment had any scientific backing, or logical backing I might be swayed… But alas…

Fantastic article; spot on, buddy-o.

Would you mind looking into the detriments of dairy one day? I’m considering cutting it out, but there is so much conflicting info out there.

By: Ollie

Ollie — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:56:57 +0000

Vic – the point is that this stuff HAS been in our food for years and it has NO business being there. People are lazy and refuse to read food labels, challenge our food producers to give us better quality and take everything at face value. Any one see the correlation between all of this NASTY JUNK being in our food, where in foreign societies it is not, and the EXTREME obesity epidemic in the U.S., where it is not in foreign countries???

I loved this article and glad to see someone bringing more light to the topic.

ORGANIC! GRASS-FED! WILD CAUGHT! NO PRESERVATIVES OR CHEMICALS!!

By: Brandi

Brandi — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:52:35 +0000

Thanks for the feedback Ben. There’s so much information in the marketplace regarding all of these products that even with our expert team’s thorough research, people are going to dig up something that states the contrary.

And it goes like that with any topic, say one camp stating a low-carb diet is unhealthy and the opposing camp stating a low-carb diet is healthy. Right now the Corn Refiners Association is running a nationwide campaign telling people that High Fructose Corn Syrup is natural and just as safe for them as sugar… but the truth is it’s not.

We appreciate your comment and always welcome an open dialogue at DietsInReview.com.

Per our research, these are 8 things that aren’t doing anyone any kind of good. Food additives aren’t healthy in any light, and whenever possible, people should consume a diet rich in whole, natural foods.