Harmful Ingredients to Avoid When Buying Food Products
When shopping in the grocery, sometimes we cannot avoid buying canned goods, artificial meat products, and other food products which are commercially prepared. There is nothing wrong with consuming these products as long as they are consumed in moderation and do not contain some of the harmful chemicals that may badly affect your health.
Ingredients to avoid when buying food products
As a consumer, you must be careful in knowing what are in the food products that you intend to buy as there are ingredients that you must avoid:
Monosodium Glutamate – One of the ingredients to avoid when buying food products is the monosodium glutamate or MSG. They are added to many commercial food products such as junk foods, canned goods, seasonings, salad dressings, and many others as flavor enhancers. Too much MSG in your diet can cause a lot of harmful effects to your body including the swelling of your mucus membrane in your gastrointestinal tract, malfunction of adrenal gland, high blood pressure, seizures, obesity, stroke, diabetes, and other health problems.
Sodium nitrate/nitrite – Sodium nitrates and nitrates are also among the ingredients to avoid when buying food products. These chemical compounds are commonly found in artificial meat products such as hot dogs, bacons and luncheon meats as preservatives. Consuming large amounts of these chemical compounds are associated with many health dangers including the risk of developing heart diseases, Type 2 diabetes, pancreatic cancer, stomach cancer, and other types of cancers, mental disorders, convulsions, and irregular breathing. Dizziness, headaches, diarrhea and gastroenteritis are also among the symptoms of too much sodium nitrate or nitrites in your diet.
Hydrogenated oil/trans fats – Hydrogenated vegetable oil commonly known as trans-fats are very common among baked goods such as cookies, crackers and cakes. They are also found in many fried foods such as French fries, doughnuts, and fried chicken. Trans-fats raise the level of bad cholesterol in your body and decrease the good cholesterol. This can lead to serious heart problems such as clogged arteries and increases your risk of stroke and heart attack. There are also studies that suggest that trans-fats may increase your risk of diabetes.
Artificial coloring – Artificial coloring makes your food look more appetizing but they too are among the ingredients to avoid when buying food products. Artificial colorings have a lot of potential negative effects to your health especially among children. Studies show that food coloring may worsen hyperactive behavior among children and increase their risk of developing ADHD and ADD.
Artificial Sweetener – Artificial sweeteners are commonly used as a substitute for sugar in many food products. Too much consumption of products with artificial sweeteners can cause weight gain and obesity and even gastrointestinal distress.
Aspartame – Aspartame is one of the most popular artificial sweeteners used in many powdered and liquid drinks and other food products as substitute for sugar. Some people experience headaches when they consume products with aspartame. For people who are prone to migraine, aspartame may also trigger an attack. And there are studies which show that aspartame may increase your risk of developing certain types of cancer.
When shopping in the supermarket, take time to read the labels of the food products you intend to buy and feed your family. They may contain some of the ingredients to avoid when buying food products as listed above. Keep your family healthy by staying away from these chemical ingredients. You are in the safer side if you include more fresh fruits, vegetables and meat in your grocery list.