Additives are put into food for a number of reasons. They can help prolong shelf life, add color and provide added flavoring to prepackaged, processed food. According to Food Matters, the average household diet is made of about 90 percent processed foods. This means that completely avoiding additives might be nearly impossible unless you buy products raw and cook them yourself. When buying foods with additives, you might want to avoid some of the most toxic additives, especially if you have food sensitivities or allergies.
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
MSG is used to enhance flavoring in highly processed foods such as soups, noodles, chips and packaged and frozen snacks. MSG is especially common in Chinese restaurant food. According to health expert Janet Starr Hull, author of "Splenda: Is It Safe Or Not?" MSG can cause headaches, weight gain, fatigue and even depression.
Food Coloring
Yellow and blue food coloring has been banned in a number of countries, including Norway, France, Sweden and Finland, but they are still in use in the U.S. Blue coloring is added to cereal and sports drinks, as well as pet food. Yellow is a very common food additive, used in everything from American cheese to lemonade. Yellow coloring has been shown to increase the chances of developing kidney tumors, while blue coloring can cause chromosomal damage, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Aspartame
While the FDA claims that aspartame sweetener is safe, many natural health experts claim otherwise. According to Hull, aspartame has been known to cause everything from migraines to allergic reactions to seizures. It's also believed to cause hyperactivity in children and to increase your chances for obesity and depression. Aspartame is added to diet drinks, sugar-free snacks and desserts, gum and diabetic foods and drinks.
Sodium Nitrate/Sodium Nitrite
Sodium nitrates, also known as sodium nitrites, are used primarily to preserve processed meats such as hot dogs, bacon and luncheon meats. These chemicals add a bright red color to food, causing it to appear fresh. Food Matters reports that the FDA considered banning the preservative in the 1970s but eventually abandoned the idea because there were no other meat preservatives available. Sodium nitrate is highly carcinogenic. It can also damage the liver and pancreas.
Potassium Bromate
Potassium bromate is added to bread to make it fluffier and increase volume. Bromate is banned in many countries around the world, but it's still in use in the U.S. and Japan. Bromate causes cancer in animals.
BHA and BHT
BHA and BHT are used to prevent food from changing color or flavor as it gets older. These preservatives are added to potato chips, cereals, gum and other common foods. BHA and BHT can cause changes in the brain and possibly cause cancer. They've also been known to affect behavior.
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