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Kimberly Frez Instructor: Malcolm Campbell English 1102 Date 3/27/14 A Healthier U.S by Revealing the Harmful Chemical Additives in Our Foods

We all know that food is a necessity for maintaining life. Dating back to the beginning of time humans were omnivores, eating both meat and plants. Today, being an omnivore, herbivore, or even carnivore has become a personal choice. Through the foods that we eat, we receive the necessary nutrients and energy that we need to live out our days. Our dependency on food is crucial. In order to maintain yourself, it is important to live a healthy lifestyle and to live a longer life. Now we depend on other people to make many of our foods. Consumers go to grocery stores and restaurants to purchase food that has already been made, or, ingredients to make a meal at a later time. Again, these foods we intake are supposed to give us the nutrients and energy to be healthy people but its time to realize that many of the foods we are eating are hurting us rather than benefiting us. How often when purchasing foods, do you take the time to read the nutrition labels and understand what it is that you and your family are truly consuming and putting into your bodies. Many foods that are purchased have been processed, altered from their natural state. Most processed foods that we eat contain harmful chemical additives such as, mercury, trans-fats, and olestra to name a few. Not all chemical additives cause detrimental long-term effects to the body but many do. It is important to educate consumers so that they may make an informed decision when shopping, and this will have for a healthier lifestyle.
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Mercury is a toxin that has been found in fish. Fish that live near areas where chemicals such as mercury are spilled out into waters are most affected. When looking at a periodic table, mercury, Hg, is located in the transition metal section with its atomic mass approximately 200.59 signifying that it is a heavy metal. This naturally occurring metal is one that can be neither created nor destroyed emphasizing the natural in naturally occurring. It is unsafe to come in contact with any amount of mercury when consumed the chemical poisons the body and the infected suffers from a variety of symptoms and may even lead to death; which is why to humans, mercury is a toxin. According to EarthTalk, an online magazine that contains scientific articles, of Scientific American: Human industrial activity (such as coal-fired electricity generation, smelting and the incineration of waste) ratchets up the amount of airborne mercury which eventually finds its way into lakes, rivers and the ocean, where it is gobbled up by unsuspecting fish and other marine life. When we consume these fish we are allowing mercury to enter our bodies where it can never be destroyed. If consumed while pregnant, the child has a greater chance of being born with birth defects. Mercury is also considered a carcinogen, a cancer causing agent, and also causes methylmercury toxicity, also known as Minamata disease Mercury Toxicity. Exposure to methylmercurcy toxicity, the most common amongst humans, causes impaired neurological development beginning in the womb. In order to avoid mercury toxicity and further exposure to mercury in the body, it is important to research what types of fish contain mercury and if their levels are high or low. If pregnant, the doctor should always advise the mother to avoid eating foods with mercury in excess. Many people are unaware that many popular fish are the fish that contain the most mercury. Fish such as tuna (whether it be canned or not), squid, anchovies, clam, shrimp, and sea

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bass are examples of fish that all contain mercury but in different levels (Americanpregnancy.org). A harmful additive is trans fat. Trans fat is oil that has been hydrogenated, which means that more hygrogens have been added to the chemical formula. Think of this like the original chemical formula without added hydrogens as someones body, the more food (in trans fats case hydrogens) you intake, the larger and unhealthy you get. These are found on nutrition labels as trans fat, or partially hydrogenated oils. A trans fat is formed when more hydrogen atoms are added to a compound and use the heavy metal platinum as a catalyst. Platinum, just as mercury, is found in the transition metal section of the Periodic Table. Platinum and Mercury are almost neighbors to each other. Using platinum as a catalyst should alert all consumers because jewelry and many other not digestible things are made out of platinum, and like mercury, cannot be destroyed from the body. Trans fats harm to the body works as a domino effect. A person consumes food with trans fats; the trans fat affects your cholesterol, which then leads to a heart attack, or stroke, or even atherosclerosis. According to the American Heart Association, the trans fat affects your cholesterol by raising the low-density lipoprotein, LDL, your bad cholesterol, and lowers your good cholesterol, HDL, high-density lipoprotein. The LDL works by building up inside the inner walls of your arteries. Major arteries lead to the heart and brain, and a blockage in those arteries can lead to heart attacks, strokes, and/or atherosclerosis. HDLs job is to slow down that build up, but with less HDL than LDL, it makes things difficult causing health problems. Something that should really shock consumers is the rule set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA),
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Trans fat content must be expressed as grams per serving to the nearest 0.5-gram increment below 5 grams and to the nearest gram above 5 grams. If a serving contains less than 0.5 gram, the content, when declared, must be expressed as 0 g. When reading the rule it specifically says a serving. Just one serving is hardly ever consumed and if the food still had trans fat in it, consuming more than one serving would make the amount of trans fat consumed larger as well. On May 1st, 2003 lawyer Stephen Joseph filed a lawsuit in California against trans fat labeling on Oreo Cookies. According to a CBS News article, Oreo Cookie Lawsuit Crumbles, Joseph said he only wanted to get the word out about the dangers of unlabeled trans fats in the chocolate-cookies-with-white-stuff-in-the-middle. This lawsuit was dropped but a few years later, the use of trans fats in restaurants and other food places was banned in California by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Following California, New York has banned the use of trans fats in public places that sell foods. Many other states have begun proposing laws to eliminate the use of trans fats indefinitely. Ever since 2008 McDonalds, one of the most popular fast food joints in the country, has stopped using cooking oils that contain trans fats.

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Foods to avoid that contain trans fats are donuts, cookies, chips, and popcorn to name a few. There are many other foods that contain trans fats. To best avoid consumption of trans fats always read nutrition labels and choose a healthier alternative because more than usually, the foods that contain trans fats, cause other problems such as weight gain. Although the FDA only allows labels to say 0g of trans fats if each serving contains less than .5 grams of trans fats many restaurants and food producing factories have begun using alternative cooking oils that are

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a bit more pricey, but a healthier alternative. November 7th, 2013, FDA announced that it would require all trans fats to be eliminated gradually. Olestra is another chemical additive. (P&G), the popular food company Procter & Gamble discovered Olestra accidentally, and gave it its brand name, Olean. When Olestra was discovered it was a scientific success because it was something that was easily digested by infants. To top it being easily digested, Olestra contains no fats, calories, or cholesterol. Ultimately Olestra is a fat substitute. Although its severity is not like mercurys and trans fat Olestra causes abdominal cramping, loose bowl movements, and weight gain. The biggest concern with Olestra is that it does not allow the body to absorb nutrients and vitamins. According to TLCs, How does olestra work? the vitamin deficiency includes Vitamins D, K, A, and many other vitamins. Vitamins D, K, and A are all vital to the body. Without vitamin D the body is unable to metabolize, form bones properly, and there is a lack of calcium. Vitamin A is vital in immune function, vision, and reproduction. Vitamin K strictly aids in clotting. Without these vitamins, the human body will usually end up sick with illness or die. News has shown that Olestra can be also found in paints and lubricants. On ABC NEWS news report Not So (O)Lean: Eating Faux Fat Makes Rats Real Fat, Susan Swithers, psychology professor at Purdue University said,"When we get cues that something is fatty, but no calories arrive -- like with fat substitutes -- our body gets confused." By consuming Olestra the body is not able to perform normal bodily functions correctly, which essentially leads to many problems. Just recently Olestra has been found in indigestible paints (Ballantyne). When reading the chemicals in paint it is unlikely that someone would automatically put two and two together and figure out that olestra is also found in our food. Why would you consume something that can also be used for your walls? According to ABC NEWS Susana Kims article, 11 Food Ingredients Banned

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Outside the U.S. That We Eat, Olestra fat substitute is banned in the U.K and Canada because it causes a depletion of fat-soluble vitamins and carotenoid. In specific chips such as Ruffles Light and Lays brand chips that say fat free or light, contain Olestra. To find this information one should look on the front of the bag or it may just be labeled in the ingredients section. Mercury, trans fats, and olestra are some of the harmful chemical additives in our foods but are not all of them. The amount of unhealthy food that we consume is high and the health of everyone consuming these foods is going low. A healthier lifestyle can always be implemented and will benefit the body. It is important that we acknowledge issues such as these and educate the public. Although a bag of chips or a slice of pie may be eaten without thinking about things, these foods are some of the main reasons why we have so many patients in the hospital. We are aware of the severity of strokes and heart attacks, and by consuming these foods, we are drawing closer to it rather than avoiding it. It should be stressed that the importance of reading nutrition labels and making healthier choices is vital, although it may cost more and is more time consuming. When schools teach on the topic of food and serving size they should also promote healthy eating and exercise by letting people know what is in our foods and to get at least one hour of exercise a day. This shouldnt be a subject that only scientists should know, the public is the most important audience educators should target. Instead of hiding .5 grams of trans fat the amount regardless if it is less than the required amount should be stated. There should be warning signs on food cartons just like there are on cigarette boxes because although the means of harming the body are different they both do harm that can lead to death. Knowing how to avoid these foods will help in the long run. Alternatives such as organic foods should be implemented. Organic being without the use of pesticides, and being more natural has for
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healthier foods. Although not all organic foods are healthier they are for a better alternative. Knowing where your foods are coming from and how they are treated is also important. Food is a necessity for maintaining life. Its time to realize that the Oreos, Baked Chips, fish and other foods we are eating are hurting us rather than benefiting us.
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Works Cited Ballantyne, Coco. "Olestra Makes a Comeback--This Time in Paints and Lubricants, Not Potato Chips." Scientific American Global RSS. Earth Talk, 6 Apr. 2009. Web. 22 Mar. 2014.
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Collins, Dan. "Oreo Cookies Lawsuit Crumbles." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 13 May 2013. Web. 22 Mar. 2014.

Daniel S., Jones. CHEM 1204 Supplementary Notes. 14. Print.

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"Good vs. Bad Cholesterol." American Heart Association. American Heart Association, Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

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"Guidance for Industry: Trans Fatty Acids in Nutrition Labeling, Nutrient Content Claims, Health Claims; Small Entity Compliance Guide." U.S. Food and Drug Administration. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Aug. 2003. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.

Hutchison, Courtney, and ABC News Medical Unit. "Not So (O)Lean: Eating Faux Fat Makes Rats Real Fat." ABC News. ABC News Network, 21 June 2011. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.

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Kim, Susanna. "11 Food Ingredients Banned Outside the U.S. That We Eat." ABC News. ABC News Network, 26 June 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.

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"Mercury Levels in Fish." American Pregnancy Association. ,Jan. 2013. Web. 22 Mar. 2014.

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Mercury Toxicity." Mercury.utah.gov | Mercury Toxicity. Utah Department of Enviromental Quality, Web. 10 Feb. 2014.

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"Olestra." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 02 Oct. 2014. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.

Phelan, Jay. "Chapter 2 Section 2.13." What Is Life?: A Guide to Biology. New York: W. H. Freeman &, 2010. 60. Print.

Scheer, Roddy. "How Does Mercury Get Into Fish?" Scientific American Global RSS. Ed. Doug Moss. E - The Environmental Magazine, 30 Dec. 2011. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.
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"South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control." SCDHEC: EQC Administration. South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, Web. 10 Feb. 2014. "What You Need to Know about Mercury in Fish and Shellfish." United States Environmental Protection Agency. United States Environmental Protection Agency, Web. 10 Feb. 2014.
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