All dangerous food ingredients such as artificial flavors, preservatives, and colorings should be avoided as much as possible. They all have a negative effect on a healthy lifestyle.

These are only a few of the hundreds of chemicals hiding in the foods that we eat. Yet out of these hundreds, the following may be the most dangerous.

Dangerous Food Ingredient: High Fructose Corn Syrup

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), at the top of the list of dangerous food ingredients, is made by treating a large quantity of glucose (a sugar) with an enzyme that changes part of the glucose into a much sweeter fructose. HFCS is cheaper than cane sugar and it is inexpensively produced.

The American government spends billions of dollars per year subsidizing corn production from which HFCS is made. Without the fiber and other natural nutrients of fruit and vegetables, HFCS is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream.

Food manufacturers began using this dangerous food ingredient in the 1970s. Before then almost all of our sugar came from sugar beets or sugar cane. But manufacturers found out that deriving sugar from corn, especially HFCS, is much cheaper.

The per capita use of HFCS in 1970 was � pound. By 1997 the average American use of HFCS was an astounding 97 grams per day! This equates to 78 pounds per year! Today its use has increased tremendously, contributing to this country's rising obesity epidemic. A study published in the 2004 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says that the consumption of HFCS increased 1000% from 1970 to 1990!

The product which contains the greatest number of grams of HFCS is soft drinks. It is also found in candy, ice cream, frozen yogurt, Popsicles, fruit bars, ketchup, pasta sauce, soups, and hamburger buns (this list is by no means exhaustive!)

When food manufacturers first began using HFCS, they didn't realize its negative impact on the body. It has no nutrients (it is devoid of enzymes, vitamins, and minerals.) It also leeches micronutrients from the body. That was then. But since then food manufacturers have discovered that HFCS not only make consumers fat, but it also increases their hunger tremendously.

How does it do that? HFCS does not cause the protein leptin to be released to signal the brain that your stomach is full. At the same time it doesn't suppress ghrelin, the substance that tells you that you are hungry. The result? You continue to eat. HFCS is the food and beverage manufacturers' dream come true!

A research team tested eleven different sodas containing high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and found that they each had high levels of carbonyls. Carbonyls are found in the blood of diabetics. They are thought to cause tissue damage, and play a part in complications associated with diabetes.

Test results also show that one can of soda has 5 times as many carbonyls as diabetics have!

High fructose corn syrup is hidden by food and beverage manufacturers under many names. Some of these names are: chicory, inulin, iso glucose, glucose-fructose syrup, and fruit fructose.

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In a 24 year time span, from 1977 to 2001, America's consumption of sweetened drinks containing HFCS shot up by 135%! A study was conducted by the University of California at Davis to find out the results of HFCS on two groups of overweight and obese individuals.

Both groups were told to eat as they normally do. They also were told to drink three specially prepared beverages a day. One group was given beverages sweetened with glucose. The other was given beverages sweetened with fructose but with the identical number of calories as the glucose-sweetened drinks.

According to Kimber Stanhope, MS, RD, lead author of the study, "...the fructose subjects gained intra-abdominal fat (in the area around the abdominal cavity), whereas the glucose subjects did not."

This study included a post-prandial measurement (triglycerides were measured after eating.) The fructose group had double the levels of post-prandial triglycerides. The fructose group experienced a decrease in post-prandial triglycerides.

"Within just two weeks, the overweight men and women in the study who were assigned to drink the fructose-sweetened beverages had developed more adverse lipid profiles" (Kimber Stanhope.)
Princeton study confirms that all sweeteners are not created equal

Dangerous Food Ingredient: Monosodium Glutamate

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a dangerous food ingredient compound known as an excitotoxin. Excitotoxins are proteins which make brain cells fire their impulses rapidly when they make contact with it. The cells become so hyper-excited that they continue to fire until the cell is exhausted, and subsequently die.

Monosodium glutamate isn't just sensed by the taste buds in our tongues, it also triggers and excites the neurons in the brain. Free glutamic acid is able to reach the brain where it can injure and kill the neurons.

A quarter of the American people are susceptible to glutamic acid, causing a wide range of negative reactions. This acid doesn't cause a problem in anyone when it is a part of whole, natural, God created unprocessed food. It becomes a problem when man separates it through a chemical process in a laboratory. This dangerous food ingredient which is a part of processed food is hidden in ingredients going by many different and confusing names.

Monosodium glutamate is ubiquitous. It is common in soups, salad dressings, chips, frozen entries, and restaurant food (this list is by no means exhaustive.) It can also be found in Asian foods and flavorings. The taste that it gives processed food is addictive. MSG is also a major contributor to the obesity epidemic.

Not only is this dangerous food ingredient responsible for contributing to the skyrocketing obesity health crisis, but also the following health issues: migraine headaches, sleeping disorders, IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), asthma, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, Lou Gehrig's disease, ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), seizures and strokes. And the list includes more! Very, very few doctors, dieticians, or the general public are aware of these toxic dangers which MSG can produce.

MSG is also hidden in cosmetics, drugs, vaccines, infant formula, dietary supplements, and many animal and people foods. As many as 25% of the U.S. population may have allergic reactions to MSG. These reactions consist of but are not limited to skin rashes, irritable bowel, migraine headaches, heart irregularities, or depression. MSG is also in pesticides and fungicides which are sprayed on fruits and vegetables.

The following ingredients ALWAYS contain MSG:

1. glutamate
2. monosodium glutamate
3. monopotassium glutamate
4. yeast extract
5. hydrolyzed protein
6. glutamic acid
7. calcium caseinate
8. sodium caseinate
9. yeast food
10. hydrolyzed corn gluten
11. gelatin
12. textured protein
13. yeast nutrient
14. autolyzed yeast
15. natrium glutamate

The following ingredients contain MSG or this dangerous food ingredient is created during processing:

1. carrageenan
2. natural pork flavoring
3. natural beef flavoring
4. flavor(s) & flavoring(s)
5. natural flavor(s) & flavoring(s)
6. malt flavoring
7. natural chicken flavoring
8. bouillon & broth
9. whey protein concentrate
10. whey protein
11. whey protein isolate
12. malt extract
13. soy protein isolate
14. soy sauce
15. soy sauce extract
16. soy protein
17. maltodextrin
18. citric acid
19. ultra-pasteurized
20. barley malt
21. pectin
22. protease
23. protein enzymes
24. anything enzyme modified
25. enzymes anything
26. soy protein concentrate
27. anything soy fortified
28. anything fermented
29. seasoning

Dangerous Food Ingredient: Trans Fats

The process of hydrogenation which yields the dangerous food ingredient known as trans fatty acid was invented by the German scientist Wilhelm Normann in 1902. During the early to mid '80s there was a public outcry against saturated fats in fast food products.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) officially voiced opposition to the use of saturated fats. In response, the fast food industry replaced saturated fats with trans fats. When studies showed that this dangerous food ingredient was worse then saturated fats, CSPI campaigned against them in 1992.

Along with corn, the American government spends billions of dollars each year subsidizing soybean production. Soybeans are used to make partially hydrogenated soybean oil, a source of trans fats.

Trans fatty acids, also known as trans fat, are created by injecting hydrogen gas into a vat of vegetable oil. The objective is to get the contents to become partially solid margarine or shortening. Crisco Oil and margarine are trans fats.

Food manufacturers like products which contain this dangerous food ingredient because they have a much longer shelf life than butter and they are cheaper to make. By the way, contrary to what has been advertised by the food companies, butter is better for you than margarine.

On a product's ingredient label, trans fat is listed as partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, or hydrogenated vegetable oil, or shortening. Ingredients are listed in the order of the amount present in the product from greater to lesser.

Besides shortening and margarine, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils are found in fried foods such as french fries and chicken. Baked goods such as donuts, cookies and crackers also contain this oil. Some breakfast cereals and waffles as well as candy, snack foods, salad dressings, and other processed foods contain this dangerous food ingredient.

Trans fats increase the level of bad cholesterol and decrease the level of good cholesterol. They clog the arteries and can lead to heart disease which is the nation's number one killer. "...Many, many diseases have been associated with the consumption of these trans fatty acids--heart disease, cancer, and degeneration of joints and tendons (that is why we have so many hip replacements today)..." (Dirty Secrets of the Food Processing Industry.) All products with this dangerous food ingredient should be avoided!

Trans fats are also known as trans fatty acids. They have various aliases on food labels. Trans fats are also called: partially hydrogenated oils or hydrogenated oils.

Avoid ALL hydrogenated products. Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now (as of January 1, 2006) requires that trans fat be shown on product labels, if the amount is 1/2 gram or less, it doesn't have to be given. If this is the case, you must read the product ingredients.

Trans fatty acids are much more dangerous than the saturated fats they replaced. They have been found to increase the blood levels of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) while at the same time lowering the levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL). LDL cholesterol is the 'bad' cholesterol and HDL is the 'good' cholesterol.

Trans fats also clog the arteries, are linked to type 2 diabetes and other serious health problems such as heart disease. And to compound the harmful effects of trans fat, studies on velvet monkeys reveal that trans fat redistributes fat from other areas of the body to the abdominal region.

New York is the first city in the nation to ban trans fats from all restaurants. The New York City Board of Health voted unanimously to rid the city's restaurants of trans fats. Trans fats must disappear from frying oils by July 2007 and from all foods by July 2008.
Too much trans fats linked to sudden cardiac arrest.

Dangerous Food Ingredient: Sodium Nitrite

Sodium Nitrite
Processed meats

Dangerous Food Ingredients: BHA, BHT

BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydrozyttoluene) are preservatives used in foods to prevent oxidation. They are found in fats and oils to stop them from becoming rancid.

These preservatives are found in such common foods as chewing gum, cereals, potato chips, and various vegetable oils. It is feared that these compounds may cause cancer.

Propyl Gallate

Propyl gallate is another preservative-often used together with BHA and BHT. It can be found in some meat products, chicken soup base, and chewing gum. Animal studies have linked propyl gallate to cancer.

Aspartame

Dangerous Food Ingredient: Aspartame

Acesulfame-K

Acesulfame-K is an artificial sweetener which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1998 for use in soft drinks. Its use has gone beyond soft drinks to baked goods, chewing gum, and gelatin desserts.

Acesulfame-K is 200 times sweeter than sugar. Rat studies show that this artificial sweetener may cause cancer.

Food Colorings: Blue 1,2; Red 3; Green 3; Yellow 6

Animal testing has linked all of these commonly used colorings to cancer. Blue 1 and 2 can be found in beverages, candy, baked goods, and pet food.

Red 3 is used to dye cherries, and can be found in fruit cocktail, candy, and baked products. Laboratory studies have shown that red 3 causes thyroid tumors in rats.

Green 3 has been linked to bladder cancer; it is used in candy and beverages. Yellow 6 has been linked to tumors of the adrenal gland and kidney. It is used in beverages, sausage, gelatin, candy, and baked goods.

Olestra

Known by the brand name Olean, olestra is a synthetic fat. It prevents the body from absorbing fat. Olestra is used in some brands of potato chips.

While stopping the absorption of fat, olestra often leads to severe diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and gas. Besides the severe abdominal discomfort, olestra prevents vitamin absorption from fat-soluble carotenoids found in fruits and vegetables.

Dangerous Food Ingredient: Potassium Bromate

Potassium bromate is used to increase the volume in white flour, breads, and rolls. It is known to cause cancer in animals. Even a small amount potassium bromate can be risky for humans.

In general, foods that are found in the center isles of your neighborhood supermarket contain dangerous food ingredients. You'll find these products canned, wrapped in cellophane, and packaged in boxes.

Concentrate on eating as much whole, raw or minimally processed food as possible.

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