Food additives serve to preserve, enhance flavor, or change appearance. While most are safe, some, such as food colors and MSG, can cause adverse reactions. Trans fats and HFCS can negatively affect cholesterol and cause weight gain. Avoid FD&C Yellow #5, Blue #1, Blue #2, and Yellow #6.
In most cases, food additives serve three purposes: to preserve, enhance the flavor or change the appearance of the food. While most are considered safe for human consumption, there are some food additives to avoid if possible. Some can cause adverse reactions in those sensitive to substances, especially food colors and monosodium glutamate, also known as MSG. Others, such as trans fats and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) can have a negative effect on cholesterol and cause weight gain.
Food colors are found in the vast majority of prepackaged foods, especially potato chips and flavored candies. Some people are naturally predisposed to have an allergic reaction to these food additives, especially FD&C Yellow #5, which can cause a small amount of people to break out in hives. Other food additives to avoid include Blue #1, Blue #2 and Yellow #6, which have been banned in Norway due to the increased risk of chromosomal damage and the development of cancers discovered during tests on laboratory animals.
MSG, a flavor-enhancing food additive in canned foods and some Chinese dishes, can cause a reaction known as an MSG symptom complex in those who are sensitive to it. This reaction can cause swelling, numbness in the face or neck, heart palpitations, and stomach problems. While these symptoms are usually temporary, they can be extremely uncomfortable and, in rare cases, temporarily debilitating for the sensitive, making this one of many food additives to avoid.
Trans fats generally used to extend the shelf life of a food or to enhance its flavor are considered one of the best food additives to avoid and have actually been banned in many different countries, including Denmark. Consuming trans fats, most commonly found in fast foods, prepackaged cookies and breads, as well as margarine, a butter substitute, has been linked to increases in bad cholesterol and decreases in good cholesterol. . This combination of reactions can increase a person’s risk of a heart attack or stroke and may be partially responsible for developing diabetes.
The use of HFCS in prepackaged foods and beverages is highly controversial, despite research being inconclusive as of 2011. HFCS have been linked to weight gain, although whether it causes more weight gain than regular sugar is unclear . In general, the problem with HFCS is that it’s found in most prepackaged foods, even those that aren’t meant to be sweet. For this reason, those who eat processed foods typically consume more HFCS than healthy without realizing it. For this reason, this artificial sweetener is considered one of the food additives to avoid or limit, as it is generally recommended that most people not consume excess sugar or sugar substitutes in the first place.
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