Preservatives and additives are included in many different foods to extend their shelf life and keep them from spoiling too quickly. When you eat these foods you are consuming substances that are not naturally occurring and they may cause damage that you are unaware of. Marilu Henner and Laura Morton, authors of "The 30 Day Total Health Makeover: Everything You Need to Do to Change Your Body, Your Health, and Your Life in 30 Amazing Days," reports that the average person eats 140 to 150 pounds of food additives each year. Knowing the dangers they may pose can help you make healthier food choices.
Effects on Your Overall Health
Additives can cause your body to react in many different ways that are not considered normal side effects of most foods, report Henner and Morton. Eating a diet high in packaged convenience food may cause you to consume so many food additives and preservatives that you begin to feel sluggish and run-down on a regular basis. Henner and Morton note that food additives and preservatives can make you feel sleepy and lethargic and may also contribute to frequent headaches. They also suggest that long term consumption of these chemicals may also cause damage to the cells in your body, which may lead to cancer and other dangerous conditions.
Food Allergies
Many of the chemicals added to packaged foods and used to extend the shelf life of them are unknown substances to many consumers, reports Alfred Larry Branen, author of "Food Additives." If a consumer does not know exactly what is being used to preserve the food being eaten, allergies can occur. Many consumers are sensitive to artificial ingredients, such as the dyes used to make food a certain color. Additives are often used to improve the appearance of foods, adds Branen, but it comes at the expense of the quality of the product.
Decrease the Nutrition of the Food
Additives and preservatives can decrease the amount of nutrients in packaged foods, suggests Branen. Many consumers feel that the most nutritious foods are those that are as close to their natural state as possible, such as fresh fruits and vegetables. Many canned fruits and vegetables though they contain additives that extend their shelf life, these additives have the potential to degrade the quality of nutrients they are added to. Artificial flavors are another common addition to convenience foods and these impact the taste and quality of the food. In many instances the nutritional value is completely removed leaving an otherwise nutritious food tasteless and unhealthy, adds Branen.
References
- "The 30 Day Total Health Makeover: Everything You Need to Do to Change Your Body, Your Health, and Your Life in 30 Amazing Days"; Marilu Henner and Laura Morton; 2001
- "Food Additives"; Alfred Larry Branen; 2002
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