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READING INGREDIENT LABELS

By Dr. Jerry Lee Hoover N.D.

Don’t be fooled by what name is on the outside cover of the food product you are buying.  It may say all natural, but that doesn’t mean much since the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t define all natural.  To get a better idea what is in the food product read the ingredients listed on the package.

The law requires a list of ingredients to be on all foods sold, by reading the ingredients one can determine if this particular food is going to help you or harm you.  The first thing listed on the ingredient list is what the product consists mostly of and on down to the last thing listed which the product contains the least of.   There is a simple saying if you cannot pronounced the ingredient its best to not eat it.  There are over 3,000 food additives such as flavorings, colors, preservatives etc. that are added to U.S. foods.  In this article we are going to be looking at some of these.   We do not realize that many of the processed foods we eat are actually poisoning our body.

Usually the second or third ingredient listed on a processed food product is sugar or high fructose corn syrup which  is more harmful for you than sugar.  Americans eat way to much sugar, the average American eats over 32 teaspoons of sugar per day.  Which leads to obesity, diabetes, liver problems, hyperactivity, dental problems, feeds cancer, etc.

Artificial Sweeteners

NutraSweet, Sweet’NLow,and Splenda are not made from sugar, they are a chlorinated artificial sweetener causing health problems.  NutraSweet , (aspartame), is used in over 5,000 products and the amino acids in aspartame attack your brain cells creating a cellular over stimulation.  Sweet’N Low, (saccharin), with over over 500 million packets produced inactivates digestive enzymes causing inflammatory bowel disease.  Splenda, (sucralose), out sales the other two mentioned and research has found that it can destroy up to 50% of your beneficial gut flora.  All three can lead to obesity, which is just the opposite of why people use them.

Artificial flavors

Artificial flavors are less expensive than natural ones so manufactures use them to cut costs.  MSG, (monosodium glutamate),  is used in thousands of different foods, even in infant formulas and is one of the worst food additives used in processed food.  Although MSG is called a flavor enhancer it has very little taste at all, it does this by tricking your brain.  Scientists at Colombia University say the brain, not the tongue decides the taste, our taste buds detect the flavors, but they send signals to the brain which interprets the flavors.  MSG is over 75% glutamic acid, which is the same neurotransmitter that your brain, nervous system, eyes and other organs use to communicate to your body.

Here is a long list of side effects of MSG.  Numbness, nausea, weakness, burning sensation, chest pain, rapid heartbeat, extreme drop or rise in blood pressure, headache, drowsiness, difficult breathing, swelling, gastrointestinal problems,  joint pain, stiffness, depression, loss of balance mental confusion, behavioral problems with children, etc.etc.

Trans fats or Partially Hydrogenated oils

Corn oil, olive oil, sunflower oil and many other types of oils are made into trans fats through an industrial process of adding hydrogen to various liquid oils to make them more solid at room temperature where they do not turn rancid.  A diet laden with trans fat increases your risk of heart disease, the leading killer of men and women, trans fats can lead to diabetes, inflammatory diseases and an increase in triglycerides.

Artificial Colors

Every year, food manufacturers pour over 15 million pounds of artificial food dyes into U.S. foods.  Nine of the food dyes currently approved for use in the US are linked to health issues ranging from cancer, allergy reactions, hyperactivity, hypersensitivity and other behavior effects in children. The artificial colors blue 1 and 2, green 3, red 3, and yellow 6 have been linked to thyroid, adrenal, bladder, kidney, and brain cancers

Preservatives

Preservatives lengthen the shelf-life of foods, increasing manufacturers’ profits – at your expense, since most are linked to health problems such as cancer, allergic reactions and more. Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydrozyttoluene (BHT) are preservatives that affect the neurological system of your brain, alter behavior and have the potential to cause cancer. Tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) is a chemical preservative so deadly that just five grams can kill you.  Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Benzoate are preservatives sometimes added to soda to prevent mold from growing, but benzene is a known carcinogen that is also linked with serious thyroid damage. Dangerous levels of benzene can build up when plastic bottles of soda are exposed to heat or when the preservatives are combined with ascorbic acid.   Sodium nitrite, a commonly used preservative in hot dogs, deli meats and bacon, has been linked to higher rates of colon, stomach and pancreatic cancers.

Conclusion

While many well-meaning nutritionists will teach you the importance of reading food labels, the easiest way to eat healthy is to stick with foods that need no food label at all.  When was the last time you saw an ingredients list on a orange or a bunch of carrots or broccoli?

Changing your processed food diet for one that focuses on fresh whole foods is a necessity if you want to stay healthy.  People have thrived on fresh whole foods for centuries, while processed foods were only recently invented, resulting in large increases in diabetes, cancer, arthritis, heart attacks, obesity, etc. etc.

About The Author

Dr.  Jerry Lee Hoover N.D. is retired and lives in Granada Nicaragua.  Is the author of three books, NATURAL MEDICINE which has 47 chapters on just about every topic, high blood pressure, arthritis, diabetes, etc. His book is also in Spanish and can be down loaded free from his web site, (www.cancernaturalcure.com), His second book Natural Ways To Prevent Cancer was published 3 years ago and can be purchased through Amazon Kindle. His latest book Radiation From Cell Phones, WiFi, Others can also be purchased through Amazon Kindle

 

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