Ingredients to avoid

Although the general rule is "All things in moderation", we can think of a few "things" generally deemed non-consumable and would generally not put in our mouths -. Both arsenic and ammonia are ingredients we would normally put into this category, yet they can be found in cigarettes. The FDA seemed to have no problem with this, then why should we? Well, an informed public might actually live a healthier, happier lifetime. This is the thought that spurs me to write this article and discuss with you, our readers, certain ingredients in our food supply that have caused great concern.

Let us start with ingredients in the foods that can be linked directly to many modern diseases. The Consumer Wellness Research center www.ConsumerWellness.org, has linked virtually all modern diseases to some food ingredients found in everyday foods and groceries. They say "None of these ingredients can be part of a "balanced diet" and none were intended by nature for human consumption".

During our own research, we have discovered that there are a few virtually indisputable ingredients that should be avoided at all costs. Of course, you will find arguments against each of these theories. The FDA has been greatly affected by lobbyists and the food industry has a lot of money at stake here. Let's not forget that the FDA has also approved many products ending in illness and/or death in the American public. Feel free to research these ingredients on your own.

The ingredients we feel are most deadly are listed below.

Sodium Nitrite and Nitrate (linked to cancer)
Sodium Nitrite is found in nearly all bacon and packaged meat products: hot dogs, pepperoni, packaged ham, soups, frozen dinners, sausage, etc. Sodium nitrite causes the formation of nitrosamines in the human body which studies reveal are highly carcinogenic. Research has revealed that sodium nitrite can result in brain tumors, leukemia, colon cancer and many other fatal diseases.

"N-nitroso compounds are potent carcinogens in primate animal models and result in a variety of tumour types." -Bogovski P, Bogovski S. Animal species in which N-nitroso compounds induce cancer. Int J Cancer 1981;27:471-74.

Although manufacturers of meats containing nitrites try to sight the fact that the studies regarding the link to cancer are refutable, one needs only look at studies of societies using a greater amount of processed meats and their correlating cancer rates. Several studies have noted that the reduction of the amount of nitrites used to cure meats in 1925 follows a trend in the reduction in the amounts of gastric cancer rates. And research conducted at the University of Hawaii as well as a study from the University of Pittsburgh has shown that people who consumed the most processed meats (hot dogs and sausage) showed a 67% increased risk of pancreatic cancer over those who did not. With the highest cancer mortality rate (some 80% of all those diagnosed die within one year) pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death among men and the fifth among women in the United States.
For more information, please check out: http://www.newstarget.com/007024.html 

Hydrogenated Oils (linked to cardiovascular disease, rapid aging, heart disease, breast and prostate colon cancer, low birth weight, hypertension, high blood pressure, obesity, alzheimers, high bad cholesterol, low good cholesterol, interference w/absorption of essential fatty acids. damaging brain cells, tumor growth, higher instances of ADHD and ADD, gall bladder, sticky or stagnant blood, blocking pain reducing hormones, high blood sugar levels, progress type 2 diabetes, high serum, cholesterol, impairment of developing brain of fetus, creation of free radicals, nutritional deficiency, promote cystic fibrosis, clotting artery walls, atherosclerosis, lower essential fatty breast milk, rotted teeth, gum disease, infertility, compromised, cell walls, liver disease, blood vessel damage, dandruff and acne) Wow! What a list! Why, you ask, might hydrogenated or partially- hydrogenated oils cause such a proliferation of disease? See the quote below.

"Essential fatty acids are the building blocks of fats. They play important roles within the human body by affecting almost every major organ, cell membrane production and immune system function. Natural occurring essential fatty acids have an electrical weight that changes the fluidity of cell membranes. This is very important on how healthy immune cells develop. When oils are transformed by the hydrogenation process, this electrical weight is changed in essential fatty acids. This affects the fluidity which causes cell membranes to "stiffen". Flaxseed oil is the best vegetable source of these natural occurring essential fatty acids. There are three important essential fatty acids needed by the human body. They are linoleic (omega-6 type), linoleic acid N (omega-4 type) and alpha-linolenic N (omega-3 type). There are 50 other various essential nutrients the body needs to function properly to produce good health.
The human body cannot produce EFA'S. It is dependent on acquiring them from vegetable or fish oils in the proper ratios. It is from these essential fatty acids that the body synthesizes long chain-fatty acids such as dihomogammalinolenic acid, (DGLA), apentaenoic acid, (EPA), arachidonic acid, (AA) and docosahexaenoic acid, (DHA). These newly formed acids play a dual role. They form cell membranes which affect the function of the cells. There are also eicosanoids, substances that act as a cell to cell communicator. The research data shows that hydrogenated oils form trans fatty acids which the body simply does not know what to do with. The body does not synthesize them properly. If the human body does not acquire natural occurring essential acids, (non-hydrogenated oils), the body does not form healthy normal cells. Instead, abnormal cells are produced." DL Dewey (author/columnist).
You will find hydrogenated oils and partially-hydrogenated oils in shortening, many crackers, cookies, margarine, dips, sauces and processed food products. They always contain trans fats. Hydrogenated oils should be avoided at all costs!

For more information, see:
Poison in the Food; Hydrogenated Oils by Mike Adams http://www.truthpublishing.com/poisonfood_p/print-cat21284.htm 
 
 
Monosodium Glutamate / MSG / Autolyzed Yeast Extract (linked to reproductive disorders, hormone imbalances, migraines, Parkinson's disease, obesity, Alzheimer's disease)
MSG is a controversial ingredient. It is used as a flavor enhancer in processed meats, soups, salad dressings, gravies, bullion cubes, other processed foods. Many companies try desperately to defend this ingredient. They say that it is only problematic to those who have an allergy to MSG and it is a natural occuring by-product, etc. There are many reasons this is a deceiving statement. The real problem is when humans take a naturally occurring element, isolate it and raise the levels to a toxin, (Even water can be toxic if consumed in mass quantities - water toxicity)
 
"It (MSG) has been shown to over-excite nerve cells, causing their death. When consumed, MSG can cause headaches, but even in people who do not experience headaches, MSG causes permanent nerve damage that can lead to reproductive disorders, damage to the hypothalamus, and nervous system diseases like Alzheimer's. Food manufacturers deceive consumers by hiding MSG in other ingredients like "autolyzed yeast extract" and "hydrolyzed vegetable protein."" - Mike Adams author/nutritionist (www.newstarget.com)

Here is a brief explanation of what MSG is and what it can do in the human body.
What is MSG (monosodium glutamate)?
MSG is a drug added to our foods that causes widespread toxicity.
- George R. Schwartz, M.D., In Bad Taste: The MSG Symptom Complex

MSG is a chemical flavor enhancer. Instead of using fresh, expensive ingredients, greedy manufacturers use old, flavorless, less expensive ingredients. When MSG is added to the "dead" ingredients found in processed, packaged "food", it causes the meal to taste better than it should.

 "The problem is that MSG is also known as an excitotoxin, which means it belongs to a class of chemicals that damage nerve cells by overexciting them. It enhances taste by penetrating the taste bud cells on your tongue and overexciting those cells to create the illusion of a sensory taste experience. The problem is that MSG doesn't stop at the tongue. It continues on through the bloodstream and can begin to overexcite nerve cells throughout your nervous system. MSG was given the name "excitotoxin" when these effects were noticed by researchers decades ago:
While MSG has been used as a flavor enhancer for a very long time, the discovery of its adverse physiological effects can be attributed to a chance discovery in 1957 by two British ophthalmologists, Lucas and Newhouse, who were studying a rare eye disorder. They were attempting to improve the condition in test animals by feeding monosodium glutamate, aspartate and other metabolic products to mice, based on the idea that these substances can be used as fuel by some nerve cells. What they found was that the mice who received glutamate and aspartate suffered severe destruction of the cells in the retina, and that the damage was worse in newborn animals than adult animals. The greatest damage occurred with exposure to glutamate. Their report went virtually unnoticed, even though monosodium glutamate had been added to processed foods in massive quantities since the late 1940s. In 1968 another research scientist, John Olney, repeated the experiment hoping to use the ability of MSG to des
troy retinal cells to study neural connections dying within deep brain structures, a common technique in neuroscience. What he found shocked him: the MSG not only destroyed retinal cells, it also killed vital neurons within the brain itself. On further study, Dr. Olney recognized that the MSG was killing neurons by exciting them to death. Based on this observation he named the process "excitotoxicity.""
- Russell Blaylock, M.D., Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills

Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills

Aspartame (linked to blindness, mental confusion, sleep disorders, nerve damage)
Aspartame is found in diet soft drinks, "diabetic" foods, "sugarless" foods, drinks, candies, chewing gum and many other products.
"When consumed, it breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde -- a highly potent nerve toxin that can cause blindness and permanent retinal damage. It has also been associated with brain tumors, cancer, and many other disorders" - Mike Adams, author/nutritionist (www.newstarget.com)

Corn Syrup and Refined White Sugar (linked to diabetes, obesity, mental disorders, cancer)
Isn't it interesting that researchers have discovered that the rising rates of obesity around the world have almost perfectly paralleled these ingredient!. You will find these ingredients in soft drinks, cereals, syrups, candies, etc.

So why is sugar so bad? High carbohydrate foods burn too hot, and too fast. This causes an excessive increase of insulin as well as stress on the pancreas. Stress-related depletion of the pancreas occurs over time as well as insulin resistance at the cellular level. These cells are therefore incapable of accepting glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream (where it should be remove), causing many problems over time, including nerve damage!!
For more information see:

Earl Mindell's New Vitamin Bible: 25th Anniversary Edition

In upcoming articles, we will delve more in-depth into each of these disease promoting ingredients. This article was meant to give a brief overview of the most dangerous food additives (according to our research). There are some foods that we would also like to express our concern about (such as white flour), however, the hidden ingredients in our food supply must be addressed first.

We hope you find this helpful. While we realize that it is difficult to cut these ingredients from your diet, we hope this web site can help you find alternative foods to replace those including these ingredients. Believe it or not, they are out there. Why, you may ask has the FDA (Federal Food and Drug Administration) not done anything to ban these harmful ingredients? Check out this book.

Fight for Your Health: Exposing the FDA's Betrayal of America

For more information on this subject, please check out these other books for more information on all of the above.

A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives: Descriptions in Plain English of More Than 12,000 Ingredients Both Harmful and Desirable Found in Foods (Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives)

Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills

and
Poison in the Food; Hydrogenated Oils by Mike Adams http://www.truthpublishing.com/poisonfood_p/print-cat21284.htm

Written by Karla Reese
Independent Beachbody Coach
Contributing writter and editor for Healthitude.com