Another Reason to Think Twice About Packaged Foods

[Guest guest]

A GLANCE AT FOOD ADDITIVES

 

(taken from " Triumph Over Disease by Fasting and Natural Diet " by,

Dr. Jack Goldstein D.P.M.)

 

A list of a few food additives, without making a treatise on the

subject, should give you some idea of the inherent dangers of these

additives:

 

Coumarin--Used for 75 years in imitation vanilla before it was found

to produce liver damage in animals.

 

Dulcin--Used for 50 years as a sugar substitute before it was found

to produce cancer in animals.

 

Butter Yellow--A coal-tar derivative used as a food coloring. Has

been found to produce cancer of the liver in animals. (As a point of

information, any coal-tar derivative is carcinogenic and most of the

food additives are coal-tar derivatives.)

 

Mineral Oil--Was once used in salad dressings and as a substitute for

food oils, but was found to interfere with digestion and the

absorption of vitamins--mainly vitamin A.

 

Piperonal--An inexpensive substitute for costly vanilla flavoring. It

is used industrially to kill lice.

 

Butyraldehyde--Used for a nutty flavor. Industrially, it is an

ingredient in rubber cement and synthetic resins.

 

Aldehyde C-17--Used for a cherry taste. It is a flammable liquid used

industrially in aniline dyes, plastics, and synthetic rubbers.

 

Ethyl Acetate--Used for a pineapple flavor. The vapor can cause

chronic lung, liver, and heart damage. This chemical is used

industrially as a solvent for plastics and lacquers.

 

Methylcellulose--Thickener used in processed cheese. It is used

commercially in cosmetics and adhesives.

 

Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose--Used as a cheese stabilizer and as a

thickener in ice cream and whipped topping mixes. It is found in

resin emulsion paints and, printing inks. It can cause intestinal

obstruction and has produced arterial lesions (diseases in the

arteries) similar to high blood cholesterol.

 

8-Hydroxyquinoline--A former preservative in cottage cheese. This has

been found to cause cancer in mice and is used in contraceptives and

rectal suppositories.

 

Alginic Acid--Used in cheese spreads to give uniformity of color and

flavor. It is used industrially in making artificial ivory and

celluloid.

 

Benzoyl Peroxide--Used as a bleach in domestic Gorgonzola, Blue,

Provolone, Romano, and Parmesan cheeses. This chemical destroys every

trace of vitamin A.

 

Resinous Glaze--An innocent term for a shellac which gives polish or

glaze to candies, such as chocolate covered raisins, etc. There is

also another type of resinous glaze which is obtained from certain

insect secretions in the West Indies.

 

PVP (polyvinylpyrrolidone)--Used in beer for clarity and is being

tested for use in wines, fruit juices, and jellies. This chemical is

also used in aerosol hair sprays.

 

Coal-Tar Derivative Paraffin--Coats fresh fruits and vegetables to

prevent spoilage.

 

Beta-Naphthylamine--This is used to make two coal-tar dyes to color

butter and oleomargarine. Has caused bladder cancer in animals.

 

Calcium or Sodium Propionate--Retards molding and spoilage in breads;

it is a fungicide. I have used this chemical in my practice and have

gotten good results in the treatment of athlete's foot.

 

Chicle--Is a latex rubber used in chewing gum. Chewing gum also

contains antioxidants, synthetic flavors, and colors which are coal-

tar derivatives.

 

Calcium Chloride--Used in cheesemaking to set the milk in a semi-

solid mass, and in canned potatoes, lima beans, tomatoes, etc., to

keep them firm or crisp. It is also use's in the canning of milk to

adjust the salt balance and prevent curdling. This chemical is used

to melt snow and to oil down dusty roads and can cause metal parts to

disintegrate. Can cause stomach irritation and kidney impairment.

 

Sodium Citrate or Phosphate--This is also used in the canning of

milk, but can aggravate an already high blood pressure.

 

Magnesium Carbonate--Used in bleaching cheese and also to keep the

green color in canned vegetables. Other uses are as a powerful

laxative, for fireproofing wood, in disinfectants, and in

manufacturing cotton fabrics.

 

Acetic Acid--Used as a dip for shrimp and other fish meats to prevent

discoloration. It is also used in the manufacturing of plastics and

dyeing of silks. I have used it in a concentrated form for the

removal of warts.

 

Chlorine Dioxide--A dangerous toxic explosive gas, one good whiff of

which will render you non compos mentis. This is used to bleach the

flour which goes into white bread, etc. It destroys vitamin E, among

other things.

 

Brominated Vegetable Oils--Used in soft drinks for uniform

distribution of fruity flavors. This has shown evidence of inducing

damage in the liver, heart, thyroid, and kidneys of rats and

interferes with normal fat metabolism.

 

Stearic Acid--A white crystalline fatty acid, usually extracted from

tallow and other hard fats.

 

Used in making cosmetics, soaps, suppositories, and pill coatings.

 

Mesityl Oxide--Used for color and flavor. This is a petroleum-based

compound found in lubricating oils, insecticides, plastic wrapping

material, can linings, adhesives, inks, and varnishes. It has the

characteristic odor of the urine of tomcats and is sometimes detected

in some of the plastic food wrapping material you might have around

the house.

 

Sodium Benzoate--A deadly poison used as a preservative in soda pop,

jams, jellies, pickles, and countless other so-called foods. Speaking

of soda, caffeine is used in all cola drinks. The concerned parent

who forbids the child the ingestion of coffee or tea unknowingly

allows the child to consume enormous amounts of caffeine when the

unlimited use of cola drinks is permitted. Sodium Benzoate kills or

inhibits all living organisms present within the jar or other

container. We are living organisms too, but the harmful effects,

because of the small doses in food products, don't make themselves

evident until years later, except in those cases of frank sensitivity

which can result in a severe reaction and/or death. (This applies to

any of the myriad of chemical additives.)

 

Sulfur Dioxide--Used in processing sugar and as a bacterial inhibitor

in wines, imitation jelly, beverages, etc. Also used as a bleaching

agent for many foods, such as nuts in shells, sliced potatoes used

for French fries, figs and other fruits. Additional sulfur dioxide

gets into our systems as we breathe it from the air, since it is a

major pollutant from factories. It is a proven poison. It has been

found to increase uric acid, to produce inflammation of the mucous

membranes of the mouth, to cause nausea, anemia, malaise, etc. Sulfur

dioxide can produce cancer and interfere with cell function (as most

of these poisons can). Drs. Braverman and Shapiro (biochemists)

reported that when a form of sulfur dioxide is applied to a component

of nucleic acid, the basic unit of heredity, then the component

Uracil is unable to perform its usual function. These findings have

raised questions on the long-range possibility of genetic damage.

 

Polyoxyethylene Compounds--Used as a replacement for natural

shortenings and as an emulsifier in breads and reduces the quantity

needed of natural ingredients. It increases the volume of foods and

is found also in biscuits, cake mixes, ice cream, frozen desserts,

pickles, etc. Has also been used in tobacco to retain moisture, but

caused bladder stones and tumors in experimental rats and was taken

out. It has been found to cause easier absorption of pesticide

residues, gastrointestinal irritation, changes in intestinal flora

(beneficial bacteria), hives and disturbances in bile secretions.

 

DES (diethylstilbestrol)--A synthetic female sex hormone which

cheaply puts weight, fat, and water on cattle and poultry. This is

one of the most dangerous of additives. In human beings, it has

produced breast cancer, fibroid tumors of the uterus, excessive

menstrual bleeding, sterility--and impotence in men and arrested

growth in children. Current research has found evidence of vaginal

cancer in the daughters of mothers who had taken DES, also a

relationship of cancer of the prostate in male offspring of mothers

who had taken DES.

 

Hydrogenated Oil--Prevents rancidity and deterioration in commercial

peanut butters and scores of processed foods and candies. It alters

the biological qualities in food. In this case, the vegetable oil is

subjected to an extremely high temperature and in the presence of a

metal catalyst such as nickel or platinum, hydrogen gas is bubbled

through the oil, causing its saturation or hardening. The result is a

smelly, axle grease-like mess that has to be bleached, filtered, and

deodorized. All of the essential fatty acids in the original oil are

destroyed.

 

Disodium EDTA--Used to promote color, flavor, and texture retention

in canned carbonated soft drinks, distilled alcoholic beverages,

vinegar, canned white potatoes, clams, crabmeat, and shrimp. Also in

cooked canned mushrooms, various canned beans, pickled cucumbers and

cabbage, and in liquid multi-vitamin preparations. It is also used in

beer, mayonnaise, margarine, potato salad, and sandwich spreads, etc.

In the human body, it inhibits enzymes and blood coagulation, causes

gastrointestinal disturbances, muscle cramps, and kidney damage. It

can also combine with calcium, iron, and other nutrients and prevent

them from being utilized by the body, since it is used for trapping

metal impurities in foods. The potential hazards of this food

additive, as with others, are the small quantities ingested in a

variety of foods and beverages daily over a long period of time.

 

Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT )--

These are two of the most widely used antioxidants in foods, which

stabilize fats so they don't become rancid due to their loss of

natural antioxidants in factory processing. BHA is in almost every

processed food that the " average person " eats. I can't begin to list

the endless names of the foods. BHT is used in as many foods as BHA.

For example: cereals, rice, shortenings, potato flakes, sugar, cured

meats, potato chips, etc. These two chemicals are also used in making

plastic packaging material, rubber gaskets, milk cartons, wax paper,

and lubricants. Both have caused dermatitis (skin disease), severe

allergic reactions such as disabling chronic asthmatic attacks, skin

blistering, eye hemorrhaging, tingling of face and hands, extreme

weakness and fatigue, edema (swelling), chest tightness, and

difficulty in breathing.

 

Propylene Glycol--A stabilizer used in ice cream, candies, synthetic

whipped toppings and in almost everything processed that the " average

person " eats. This chemical is used in germicides, paint removers and

antifreeze substances. Propylene glycol always reminds me of the

time, a number of years ago, when my youngest son was admitted to the

hospital for a hernia repair. We requested a vegetarian diet for him

and argued with the powers-that-be just to get simple unprocessed,

uncanned fresh fruits and vegetables. Evidently the entire idea was

over their heads and we brought in our own food. The point is that on

each tray that was brought at mealtimes was a disposable,

individually wrapped germicidal handwipe. One of the ingredients was

propylene glycol and, ironically, almost every tray had some type of

packaged, processed food product (synthetic or otherwise) which

contained propylene glycol as a preservative. We threw it out each

time.

 

Red Dye No. 2 (Amaranth)--One of the many coal tar dyes; but Amaranth

has gained universal acceptance. Principal uses have been in

beverages, but it is also widely used in candy, confections, pet

food, dessert powders, bakery goods, sausages, ice cream, sherbet,

dairy products, cereals, snack foods, etc. Allergists have reported

cases of Amaranth sensitivity. The Russians have done extensive

research on this synthetic food coloring and have found that it not

only tends to produce cancer, but could cause malformed and softened

fetuses (unborn babies). It was finally banned in 1976; however, it

is supposed to be replaced by Red Dye No. 40, which is as bad or

worse than Red Dye No. 2.

 

Sodium Nitrate and Sodium Nitrite--There is probably almost no one

who hasn't taken these chemicals into his body and most people ingest

them on a daily basis. Used as a preservative and color fixative in

cured meats, meat products, and certain cured fish, such as bacon,

bologna, hot dogs, deviled ham, meat spreads, potted meats, almost

all ham, sausages, smoked and cured shad, salmon, tuna fish products,

poultry, wild game, pickled corned beef, tongue, pastrami, and a host

of cold cuts. Meats, no matter in what stage of decay, are kept a

pinkish color, which implies freshness. If most of the meats did not

have these two chemicals within, most people would probably not buy

the product, since it would resemble a gray, colorless cadaver

(corpse). The danger is that sodium nitrite tends to lessen the

blood's ability to carry oxygen and if ingested in sufficient

quantities can lead to respiratory failure. Recent studies at the

Children's Cancer Research Foundation showed that the nitrites can

cause cancer, can be mutagenic (causing changes in the form of an

individual due to a change in the genes or chromosomes), teratogenic

( causing monstrosities), and generally toxic (poisonous to the

entire human system. Sodium nitrate tends to neutralize and is

antagonistic to vitamin A. It becomes more troublesome when

intestinal bacteria convert it to sodium nitrite. A class of

compounds termed nitrosamines is one of the most powerful cancer-

producing agents known to science according to Drs. Samuel Epstein

and William Lijinsky of the Children's Cancer Research Foundation and

University of Nebraska's College of Medicine, respectively.

Nitrosamines are present in many food materials and have been shown

to act throughout the body and produce cancer in a wide range of

organs and species. Nitrates and nitrites in some foods can combine

in the digestive tract with secondary amines, which are also present

in some foods. Under certain circumstances, this combining can

produce nitrosamines which are potential cancer-producing compounds.

 

I hope this brief presentation will open your eyes and your minds and

make you more aware of the possible hazards of eating foods other

that what grows from the ground in their fresh, unadulterated state.

Be wary of any commercially processed foods. The choice is yours. You

now have some basic tools with which to make decisions--decisions

which can affect the rest of your life and the lives of your children.

 

There are many books published on food additives which you can obtain

to further enhance your knowledge; but the next time you shop in a

supermarket, read the labels. Read labels on everything you can and

you'll get an education in pharmaceutics.

 

Good Health to You

 

Elaine