We have mentioned this before and will say it again, read your food labels before you buy. What we are wanting to look for are additives and preseratives. *These substances are chemical and not do not naturally occur in foods.* They are used for a number of reasons such as;

1. To delay spoilage

2. To make the color of the food look appealing

I found out years ago by our butcher that the color of ground beef is not red it is normally gray. But, who would buy gray meat? Food coloring is added in order to make it more appealing to the public eye. He said, "If this was not done no one would buy my meat. It just does not look good and people tend to think that the redder color a meat is the better it is for you and this is not true".

3. It increases flavor or texture.

4. It sometimes replaces nutrients lost in processing.*

You can also do this on your own by over-cooking fresh vegetables. A vegetable steamer is an excellent way to tenderize foods and keep their important nutrients.

*There are at least 10,000 indirect additives that enter our foods untentionally. Meaning, that substances that are present during growing, processing or packaging, as well as environmental pollutants. Most additives present little to no risk to health and are considered safe by doctors and nutritionalists. They go on to explain that sometimes vitamins and minerals are added to prevent deficiencies.* This is a positive.

Examples of this would be iodine added to breads and Vitamin D added to milk and dairy products to help absorb calcium. Milk has calcium naturally, but does not have Vitamin D. Calcium will not be absorbed by the body without Vitamin D. BHA another food additive is a preserative that is added to foods to keep fat from turning rancid. BHT is an additive added to foods to help preserve food odor, flavor and color. Some people may not be able to metabolize BHA and BHT and may see health and behavior concerns. One of my sources say that these two have significant health benefits. Another source says that they ?may? have carcinogenic properities. What or who are we to believe?

Other additives may cause people some problems, such as sugar would to a person with diabetes. Sulfides is another additive that has been used for many years to help prevent fruits and vegetabales from turning brown. *It helps to decrease the growth of bacteria in fermentated beverages such as wines. They are still added to dried fruits and shrimp. When sulfur is added to some foods and wines is when some may have symptoms of allergic reactions. Foods rich in proteins such as meats, fish, peas, and beans all contain sulfur naturally. About 10 years ago the government ordered a decrease the use of sulfides. They are no longer added to fresh fruits and vegetables, however, they still are added to many cooked and processed foods. The food industry has about six different sulferic agents that they use in foods today. Sulfites are safe for most people but someone may have problems related to allergic reactions.*

We are a family that has a history for asthma and allergies so we try to make a big effort at reading food labels. It only takes a second and if an ingredient is in an item that we do not trust then we just do not buy it.

So, when shopping, read your lables and be informed of what you are eating. This is why in my opinion fresh or frozen is best. I feel that the less of these things that we ingest the better. It many take a little extra time but I feel it is worth the effort.

Take care and meet me in my next article retated to food allergies.

Here's to your improved health and wellness

Up coming article--Food allergies