Food Additives and Your Health

So many things are added to the foods we eat.  An interesting article appeared in the paper about food additives and our health, especially children’s health.  It is actually hard to find and eat foods that are additive free.  Especially if you buy a lot of ready made food or eat at Fast Food restaurants.  This article is based on the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)new policy statement which encourages families to try to reduce exposure to the synthetic chemicals in our foods.  Three types of synthetic chemicals are focused on, the chemicals in: food colorings, preservatives and the chemicals found in food packaging.

What harm are these food additives causing?

According to the AAP, some food additives can interfere with children’s hormones, their growth and development.  Some additives are linked to an increased risk of childhood obesity.  

How many food additives are there?

You may be surprised to learn that over 10,000 food additives have been approved for use in the U.S.  These additives are used for enhancing the taste of the food we eat, to preserved the food, to improve the texture or appearance of the food. 

Just because something has been added to a food, doesn’t’ mean it is bad for our health.  For centuries people have added salt or sugar to food as a preservative.  

What chemicals are in food packaging that may be of concern?

Food packaging may lead to an “indirect” additive to  food as the chemical may come from the packaging, the paper, the dyes, or the coating like the coating inside a canned food.  These chemicals include:

    1.  Bisphenols (known as BPA) – consumers have been concerned about BPA for years.  It was banned for use in plastic baby bottles and sippy cups years ago.  But it can still be found in plastic containers such as water bottles and the lining of some metal cans.  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indicates BPA is safe. 

a.       To cut back on BPA –

                                                               i.      Eat more fresh food and less canned food.  Some food manufacturers are removing BPA from canned food but not all have.  Campbell’s removed BPA from its soup cans in 2017 so enjoy your canned soup and be BPA free.  

                                                             ii.      Use glass, stainless steel or other non-plastic containers for heating food.  Glass containers and stainless steel pots and bowls are BPA free.  You may freeze food in a plastic container but then heat it up in a glass container in the microwave or a metal pot on the stove.

2 Artificial colors – hard to avoid artificial colors in foods like fake juice – e.g. Sunny D, fruit punch, or some kid’s cereals.  AAP associated these artificial colors with “worsened attention-deficit disorder (ADHD)".  AAP noted some studies have found that ADHD symptoms are lessened in kids that have cut back on artificial colors in their diets. 

a.        To cut back on artificial colors:

i.       Replace fake juice with real juice.  100% juice has the natural color from the fruit and not an added artificial color.  Serve real orange juice, not Sunny D.  Serve Juicy Juice and not a fruit punch drink.

ii.     Choose kid’s cereals that have no artificial coloring.  Trix tried to take out the artificial colors but some parents did not like it.  But General Mills noted “about 90% of its cereals, including Cheerios, Cocoa Puffs and Golden Grahams”  are still made without artificial colors.

iii.   Choose chips that are free of artificial colors – Choose Sun Chips instead of Cheetos.  (And Sun Chips add whole grains to your day.)

Sun Chips are whole grain

How can parents cut back on or avoid food additives that may be harmful?  AAP offers a number of suggestions:

• Buy more fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables 

Enjoy fresh or frozen fruit

• Don’t heat up food in plastic containers as AAP notes the BPA are more likely to leak into the food
• In the kitchen, use more glass, stainless steel – use glass containers to heat or reheat foods
• Wash fruits and vegetables that aren’t peeled.  My husband always packed the kids’ lunch.  He always washed the apple before putting it in their lunch.
• Choose alternatives – skip the Cheetos and choose Sun Chips or other chips that don’t have artificial colors
•  Read the ingredient list:  look for foods without artificial colors (e.g. Yellow #5, Yellow #6, Red #40, Green #3) in the ingredient list.   
• Limit the intake – if your kids still love the original Trix or other foods with artificial colors, then use them as an occasional treat and not an everyday food item

My daughters introduced me to some great glass container storage dishes.  We now store leftovers in these glass containers.  There is a plastic cover but the food mostly touches the glass.  

Store leftovers in glass containers

You may not be able to remove all harmful or suspected harmful food additives from your or your families’ diet, but there are many easy ways to cut back on food additives.  

Sources:  food additives, policy, 10,000, indirect, BPA, Campbell’s, Trix, Sun Chips, AAP  Image sources:  Sun Chips, fruit, Glass containers