Ok, so this is a long one about food additives!  But stick with me.  The take away from this post is that you have to read labels and be aware of what you’re consuming.  Know what to look for and avoid on food labels.

Reading labels is one of the things that jump-started my interest, education, and career in nutrition. After our daughter had a reaction to Red-40 food dye we immediately removed all food dyes from our diet. At that point, I became increasingly aware of the amount of chemicals put in to our food and what additives we should avoid.

Packaged and processed foods are convenient, portable, and they stay fresh for a long time (thanks to all those preservatives). The additives put into processed foods to make them look and taste better include unhealthy amounts of salt, fat and sugar – and those are the ones you can pronounce. These additives, however, have a price that may include side effects, food allergies, increased waistlines, decreased absorption of minerals and vitamins, cancer and more.

Below is a list of the 10 most pervasive and detrimental food additives and substances you can eat, in no particular order: [Read more…]