A number of foods available in the market contain different food additives. However, most of these compounds can be dangerous for our health. Scroll down for a list of preservatives to avoid.
Artificial additives are often added to a variety of food products in order to enhance their flavor, visual appeal, or shelf life. These chemical compounds help in preserving the freshness of the items for a longer time. There are over 14,000 synthetically prepared chemicals that come under this category. Most of these chemicals are known to cause several adverse effects on children and adults. They can make children fall prey to several behavioral or learning problems. They can also cause medical conditions such as hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder, asthma, and cancer.
Not all artificial food additives are harmful. However, there are a lot of coloring and flavoring agents, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, texture, and processing agents that should be avoided. The best way to do so is to check the labels of the foods. Avoid fruit juices and breads containing large amounts of preservatives. Planning healthy meals and replacing the packaged snacks with homemade ones can also help. Here are some examples of harmful food additives.
Artificial Food Colors
- Tartrazine
- Quinoline yellow
- Yellow 2G
- Sunset Yellow FCF
- Carmine
- Amaranth
- Azorubine
- Patent Blue V
- Indigo carmine
- Brilliant Blue FCF
- Red 2G
- Erythrosine
- Brilliant scarlet
- Allura red AC
- Acid brilliant green
- Fast green
- Brilliant black
- Kipper brown
- Chocolate brown HT
Artificial Food Sweeteners
- Aspartame
- Cyclamate
- Cyclamic acid
- Potassium acesulphame
- Saccharine
- Mannitol
Artificial Food Preservatives
- Benzoic acid
- Sodium benzoate
- Potassium benzoate
- Calcium benzoate
- Calcium sulfite
- Calcium hydrogen sulfite
- Sodium metabisulfite
- Potassium metabisulphite
- Potassium sulfite
- Potassium bisulfite
- Orthophenyl phenol
- Formic acid
- Hexamethylene tetramine
- Potassium nitrate
- Sodium nitrite
- Sodium nitrate
- Glacial acetic acid
- Butylated hydroxy-anisole
- Propyl p-hydroxybenzoate
- Sulfur dioxide
- Diphenyl
- Biphenyl
- Calcium propionate
- Potassium propionate
- Sodium propionate
- Ethyl para hydroxybenzoate
Artificial Flavor Enhancers
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
- Glutamic acid and all glutamates
- Disodium guanylate
- Disodium ribonucleotides 5
- Disodium inosinate 5
Synthetic Antioxidants
- Octyl gallate
- Propyl gallate
- Dodecyl gallate
- Butylated hydroxyanisole
- Tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ)
- Butylated hydroxytoluene
- Stannous chloride
Other Food Additives to be Avoided
- Carrageenan
- Acacia gum
- Polyoxyethylene stearate
- Polysorbate
- Gelatin
- Potassium ferrocyanide
- Potassium bromate
- Chlorine dioxide
- Magnesium sulfate
- Alginic acid
Now that you are aware of the various types of harmful food preservatives, try to avoid their consumption as far as possible.