Ignore the Label – the Details are in the Ingredients

Multiple times a week I get asked if a certain food product is okay to eat. My first response is “have you read the ingredients?” Usually the answer is “no but the label claims it’s healthy.”

You’ve heard the expression about the importance of the details, and this is where it is beyond true. Ingredients are more important than ever before as food manufacturers are trying to cut costs and make things taste as alluring as possible.

For starters, did you know there are over 1000 ingredients banned in Europe that are still used in our food supply?

Food manufacturers use both artificial and “natural” flavors which all contain preservatives and chemicals. The “natural” flavors term is very loosely regulated, and manufacturers aren’t required to disclose exactly what they are using.

For example – here’s a list of ingredients from a typical coffee creamer:

Sugar, coconut oil, sodium caseinate, propylene glycol, dipotassium phosphate, polysorbate 60, sodium stearoyl lactylate, salt, natural and artificial flavors, sucralose.

Here’s a comparison of ingredients from half and half:

Pasteurized Organic Milk and Cream.

The first one has 3 sweeteners (sugar, propylene glycol and sucralose AKA Splenda), and a mix of artificial ingredients. The half and half has two ingredients that are not artificial and no sources of sugar/sweeteners.

So what are we looking for in a label? Here are some categories of ingredients and snapshots of what they are capable of in the body.  Although the risk may be small if you are eating these ingredients in processed foods on a regular basis it accumulates over time.

Artificial and other sweeteners:

Take for example a sweet product. It may contain no sugar or very little carbs so where does the sweetness come from? One, two or even three sweeteners can be in one product. Here are a few you may or may not be aware of. In short, they are adding sweetness without having to add calories to the label. 

• Acesulfame-potassium (or K)
• Agave
• Aspartame
• Glycols (propylene glycol)
• Saccharin
• Sucralose (Splenda)
• Xylitol and Erythritol (and anything with an “ol” at the end of it)
• Synthetic vanillin
• Stevia
• Monk Fruit
• High fructose corn syrup/corn syrup

Besides being many times sweeter than sugar, many have been linked to increase carb cravings as they alter the gut hormones insulin, ghrelin and leptin which change appetite and fullness.  Agave contains high levels of fructose, which causes insulin resistance, liver disease and inflammation. Sucralose has been linked to leaky gut (bloating, maldigestion of nutrients, abdominal pain, increasing food sensitivities and inflammation) as it changes the microbiome of the gut. Aspartame and saccharin are linked to not only increasing visceral (belly) fat but cancer and kidney issues. Erythritol has been linked to blood clots. Most have linkages to increasing type two diabetes. High fructose corn syrup correlates to fatty liver which is something you want to avoid at all costs since your liver is one of if not your most important organ.

Since there is not enough natural vanilla to meet needs of the food industry artificial vanilla flavor, known as synthetic vanillin is used in imitation vanilla flavoring and is usually manufactured from petrochemicals or genetically modified yeast. Synthetic vanillin has been linked with gut issues and allergies.

Artificial preservatives:

Artificial preservatives are meant to increase shelf-life of a product.  Many are added to improve a product’s texture or taste.  The list below is anything but exhaustive.

• Azodicarbonamide – used in bagels and buns; can cause asthma
• Butane – put in chicken nuggets to keep them tasting fresh, a known carcinogen
• Bisphenol A (BPA) – a known endocrine disruptor present in plastics – if you buy precut foods in plastics you may be getting a fair amount of BPA
• BHA/BHT – both are endocrine disruptors, and can cause lung/liver tumors in laboratory animals
• Disodium inosinate and guanylate – both flavor enhancers which can increase uric acid levels which can increase gout and/or kidney stones
• Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) – synthetic hormone used to increase milk supply in cows that has been banned in Europe and Canada
• Refined vegetable oil – seed oil linked to mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative damage
• Brominated vegetable oil – keeps flavor oils in soft drinks suspended. Bromate is a poison and can cause organ damage and birth defects. Not required to be listed on food labels.
• Carrageenan – a food thickener linked to ulcers and cancer, commonly in cottage cheese and many other prepared foods
• Parabens – an endocrine disruptor linked to breast cancer and hormonal problems present in many personal care products
• Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose – a thickener in salad dressings, cancer causing in high quantities
• Polysorbate 60 – A thickener that is used in baked goods; can cause cancer in laboratory animals.
• Camauba wax – used in chewing gums; linked to cancer
• Magnesium sulphate – used in tofu, linked to cancer in animals
• Potassium bromide – found in many store-bought breads and cookies; linked to cancer
• Propyl gallate – found in meats, popcorn, soup mixes and frozen dinners; shown to cause cancer in rats. Banned in some countries
• Sodium benzoate, sodium nitrate – contain MSG and found in processed meats; linked to hyperactivity in children and a known carcinogen
• Sulfites (potassium bisulfite, sodium sulfite) – used to keep prepared foods fresher; linked to breathing problems
• Polyethylene glycol (found in many OTC medications) – better known as antifreeze and found in dairy products and salad dressings; linked to gut issues
• MSG (other names are hydrolyzed soy protein and autolyzed yeast) – flavor enhancer that can cause headaches; linked in animal studies to nerve damage, heart problems and seizures.

If a product has a few to many of these additives there is a cumulative effective, especially if you eat that food several times a week over a long period of time.

And let’s not forget the multiple dyes now present in foods.

Synthetic Colors:  There are many dyes in foods but here is a partial list:

• Red Dye #40, #2, #3
• Blue #1,2
• Green #3
• Yellow #5, 6
• Citrus red #1, #2
• Orange B
• Carmel coloring
• Brown HT, Bixin
• Norbixin
• Annatto
• Titanium dioxide

Many are carcinogenic, have potential to cause tumors.

FD&C numbered color pigments especially Red Dye No. 3 is found in over 2000 packaged foods including cakes, cookies, bacon bits and is linked to cancer and harm to the brain.

Titanium dioxide is commonly found in many food products including candy and candy canes, salad dressings, chewing gum, ice-cream, frozen foods, and Jello mixes. It is known to cause chromosomal damage and cancer. Titanium dioxide is banned in the EU.

So where do we go from here?  Our food supply is beyond poisoned as you can imagine just given these lists which are only partial.

What can you do to avoid all these additives, chemicals and sweeteners? 

1. Read labels and avoid packaged processed foods as much as possible
2. Avoid fast foods and minimize eating out to control ingredients
3. Eat things without a label (vegetables, fruit, produce, eggs, meat, chicken, and fish)

Educate yourself, know what you are eating, eat organic as much as possible to avoid pesticides, and hormones.  If something is too good to be true, it probably contains an ingredient to avoid. 

So if you truly want to know if a food is healthy for you, avoid the label and read the ingredients – that will give you the answer to whether it is something you want to put in your mouth.