A GUIDE TO OUR CHEMICAL LADEN WORLD

Throughout history, humans have been adding additives to the food

supply in order to improve taste and texture, enhance appearance and preserve
freshness. For example, using salt to preserve meats, sugar to sweeten cakes
and purple beetroot juice to give color to sweets. Notice that all of these
additives are natural (occur naturally within daily foods). However, in today’s
fast paced world, synthetic food additives are excessively added to our
processed food diets. Some synthetic additives aren’t completely safe for
consumption and pose health risks to the public. These are our choices from
almost 10,000 additives that exist today.
This is a quick guide on 3 major additives to avoid on your next grocery trip!

Written and Designed by Celine Lityo

 A GUIDE TO OUR CHEMICAL LADEN WORLD

These substances are vital to the production of cured meats such as lunch
meats, ham, sausages, salami and bacon, because they inhibit the growth of a
pathogenic bacteria called Clostridium botulinum (bacteria responsible for
botulism). When these meats are cooked in high temperatures, carcinogenic
nitrosamines form. Eating an excessive amount of processed meat is linked to
colon cancer. Although vegetables contain naturally occurring nitrates and
nitrites, they are rarely cooked in high temperatures and do not have much
proteins.
Look out for cured meats with:
• sodium nitrate (E251)
• sodium nitrite (E250)
• potassium nitrate (E252)
• potassium nitrite (E249)

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/are-nitrates-and-nitrites-harmful#where-nitrates-and-nitrites-
are-found

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7139399/

https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/csem.asp?csem=28&po=10

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/sodium-
nitrate/faq-20057848

Written and Designed by Celine Lityo

 A GUIDE TO OUR CHEMICAL LADEN WORLD

Children love snacks and treats that scream color, but

many of these man-made colors are associated with
hyperactivity, learning impairments, irritability and even
cancer. Artificial colors are found everywhere, from
cosmetics to meats to confections.
Among the most common and dangerous are:
• Yellow #5 (Tartrazine)
• Yellow #6 (Sunset Yellow)
• Red #40 (Allura Red)
Which contain benzidine and 4-aminobiphenyl,
substances linked with cancer. Children taken off Red #40
dyes immediately show better brain function

Other food dyes like Brilliant

Blue (Blue #1), Indigo Carmine
(Blue #2), Citrus Red #2, Fast
Green (Green #3) are also a
main source of health concerns
such as bladder and brain
tumors, chromosal damage,
asthma, lymphoma, insomnia,
eczema and allergies.
Attempt to consume food with
natural food dyes like turmeric,
beetroot, berries, carrots, spinach, paprika etc.
http://www.eatingwell.com/article/16442/the-hidden-health-risks-of-food-
dyes/#:~:text=The%20three%20most%20widely%20used,learning%20impairment%2C%20irritability%20and%20aggressiven
ess.

https://www.special-education-degree.net/food-dyes/

Written and Designed by Celine Lityo

 A GUIDE TO OUR CHEMICAL LADEN WORLD

Artificial sweeteners have been gaining popularity as a

sweet solution to weight loss. These substances are
capable of the multiplying sweetness of sugar, making it a
popular ingredient in confectionery and baking. But not
all sweeteners ae created equally, some maybe more
harmful than the other.

200X SWEETER
200-700X SWEETER
THAN SUGAR
THAN SUGAR
Aspartame is made of aspartic acid and phenylalanine,
which is broken down to methanol in the body. When
aspartame is heated, it produces free methanol, a Saccharin is commonly found in canned fruits,
carcinogen and neurotoxin. Aspartame is toxic to people diet products, and beverages. It is a
with Phenylketonuria (cannot process phenylalanine). sulfonamide, which cause allergic reactions in
some individuals.
Some health risks associated:
Cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, weight gain, birth defects, Some health risks associated:
ADHD, lupus Much research by federal agencies have been
done, and it has been deemed same.
However, activists still claim its link to cancer.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/artificial-sweeteners-sugar-free-but-at-what-cost-201207165030

https://www.healthline.com/health/aspartame-side-effects

https://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/top-number-most-dangerous-artificial-sweeteners.html

https://www.livestrong.com/article/465273-which-is-worse-saccharin-or-aspartame/

Written and Designed by Celine Lityo