Cut out the preservatives

Our ancestors used natural methods of preserving foods. Among the earliest preservatives were sugar and salt. But after Louis Pasteur proved that it was the presence of bacteria that caused food to spoil, there is a tendency to consider all microorganisms harmful. Today, food industry uses nearly 6,000 chemicals to preserve foods. Highly attractive food packaging, taste-enhancers and convenience for the busy mothers are making our next generation dependent on packaged and processed which is taking them towards many health-related disorders. Ill-effects of artificial preservatives - Benzoic acid or sodium benzoate is added to margarine, fruit juices, and carbonated beverages. It can produce severe allergic reaction. - Sulfur dioxide is a toxin used in dried fruits and molasses (jiggery or gur) as well as to prevent brown spots on peeled fresh foods such as potatoes and apples. Sulfur dioxide bleaches out rot, hiding inferior fruits and vegetables. In the process, it destroys the vitamin B contained in produce. - Many colouring agents are derived from coal tar, and nearly all colouring is synthetic. Though some artificial food dyes have been banned because they are believed to cause cancer, most dyes used today are of the artificial variety. They are also linked to allergies, asthmas, and hyperactivity. - The long list of foods and beverages in which colour is altered includes butter, margarine, the skins of oranges and potatoes, popcorn, maraschino cherries, hot dogs, jellies, jellybeans, carbonated beverages, and canned strawberries and peas. - Even the chicken feed on large-scale egg farms is coloured so that chickens will lay golden-yolked eggs similar to those laid by free-range chickens. - Most processed foods contain sweeteners, many of which are artificial sugar substitutes containing no natural sugars, such as saccharine and aspartame. - Artificial sweeteners present in aerated drinks and artificially coloured and flavoured beverages are linked to behavioural problems, hyperactivity, and allergies. Because saccharin was shown to increase the incidence of bladder cancer in animal testing, all foods containing this sugar substitute are required to carry a warning label. - Emulsifiers, thickeners and stabilisers used in cream, butter, mayonnaise and ice-creams are known to cause neurological disorders and skin allergies. - MSG (monosodium glutamate) is a popular flavour-enhancer. It causes common allergic and behavioural reactions, including headaches, dizziness, chest pains, depression and mood swings, and is also a possible neurotoxin. - Potassium bromate is a chemical added to flour to make bread rise better and give it a uniform consistency. Most of what is added to flour breaks down during the cooking process into bromide. An excess intake of bromide has been associated with the inhibition of iodine enzyme metabolism, which weakens the thyroid and kidneys. The potassium bromate that isn't broken down remains in the baked good and is a known carcinogen. Numerous petitions have been made to the FDA to ban this ingredient and many flour mills have voluntarily stopped adding it to their products. This food additive is banned in most countries. - Diacetyl is a chemical that imparts the buttery flavour in microwave popcorn. It has a disease named after it because many microwave popcorn factory workers exposed to it have developed a lung condition called diacetyl-induced bronchiolitis obliterans or "Popcorn worker's lung". - Ehedrine is a stimulant that works on the central nervous system. It is a common ingredient in energy drinks, weight-loss products and decongestants, but it often poses a threat to the health of the heart. It should not be taken without proper guidance and after reviewing the medical history of the person consuming it. It's time we as parents and all the health professionals take serious responsibility to protect our youth from the dangerously harmful effects of the processed and preserved foods.