How to identify harmful food additives in food?

When buying food in a store, we are often glad that it can be stored for a long time, and it does not lose its palatability because of this. We are delighted with the taste, appearance, color of this or that product, but we do not think that all this is the “work of hands”; enhancers of taste and smell, and not natural ingredients. Most of what we eat and drink is simply stuffed with all sorts of harmful food additives. On packages, they are usually marked as E - ***. Let's take a closer look at the packages together and figure out what our daily menu actually consists of.

What is the danger of food additives?

We practically do not notice the presence of food additives in our food, emphasizes estet-portal.com. All we can do is evaluate the taste or color of the product "by eye" and tell if there is an additive there or not. The more attractive the product looks, smells better or tastes better, the more food additives it contains.

People have learned to reproduce the taste of the product, color and even smell with the help of chemical elements. Once an experiment was carried out: in the store, with the help of certain chemical compounds, the smell of fresh pastries was spread, it could not be distinguished from natural. The feeling of hunger intensified among buyers, and 50% more products appeared in their baskets than with a regular purchase. This experiment suggests that people do not distinguish whether the smell was natural, coming from real baking, or it consisted of only chemical elements. The main thing is what effect it has on our brain.

So it is with products: their main taste properties are replaced by harmful food additives, and we no longer distinguish where a natural product is and where it is not. This is beneficial for sellers: products are appetizing and retain freshness for a long time, since additives have preservative properties. In addition, additives tend to cause taste addiction in the consumer. The most popular of these is monosodium glutamate (E-621). It is present in almost all products that children and adults like so much. It is addictive precisely because it acts on the nervous system, causes an exciting effect, without which the food seems bland and tasteless.

In addition, food additives tend to accumulate in the human body and cause such consequences as: skin diseases, allergies, increased cholesterol levels, liver and kidney diseases, indigestion, the growth of malignant tumors and formations, headaches, etc. In general, they affect all the functions of our body.

Classification of harmful food additives

To protect your health and the health of your children, look carefully at the packages and be careful if they contain such compounds:

• Preservatives - one of the most common types. By killing various bacteria, they prolong the life of food products. Natural include: acetic acid, salt. The rest – harmful to health. They are usually designated E 200 - E 290 and E 1125. They cause asthma and dermatitis, affect the kidneys and blood pressure, disrupt the intestines, and cause oncology. Unfortunately, their presence is observed in all food products: milk, confectionery, meat and fish products. Even some fruits for long-term storage are treated with diphenyl E-230. Therefore, wash fruits, especially citrus fruits, thoroughly before eating.
• Food colorings - are used to give an attractive color to the products, if they have acquired an unsightly appearance during the heat treatment. Dyes are also divided into synthetic and natural. Natural are extracted from plant and animal raw materials, synthetic - only by chemical means. The most common food colorings are from E 100 to E 180, E 579, E 585. They cause cancer, gastrointestinal diseases, hyperactivity in children, destroy the body's vitamin accumulations, and provoke allergies. Often they can be found in carbonated drinks, confectionery, sweets, ice cream, meat and fish products.
• Flavor and aroma enhancers (flavorings), designated E 620 - E 637. Their name speaks for itself, i.e. improve the taste of food. Due to the rapid penetration into the brain, they act on the nervous system. Often found in fast food, sausages, desserts, semi-finished products. In addition, flavorings are often used to mask the taste of already spoiled raw materials.
• Stabilizers, sweeteners, thickeners are used to preserve the consistency of a product, increase viscosity and preserve taste. Designated as E 249-252, E 400-476, E 575-585 and E 1404-1450. Used in jams, preserves, sauces, confectionery and sausage products, semi-finished products. With the frequent use of these harmful food additives, oncological diseases occur, the protective functions of the body decrease, immunity decreases, and the gastrointestinal tract suffers.

As for sweeteners, the most harmful of them – aspartame. It is toxic and can cause headaches, nausea, dizziness, etc.

In fact, all the dangers of the influence of harmful food additives are not fully understood. Every year the family of these chemical compounds is replenished with more and more new members. Therefore, keep an eye on what appears on your table, along with estet-portal.com.