Chemicals
that do not naturally occur in foods are not supposed to be in foods. That
makes sense, doesn’t it? Why would you want to eat things that have been
proven, over and over again, to negatively impact your health?
From the dawn of time, our
bodies have been powered by chemicals that occur naturally in the food
substances that grow around us. Artificial ingredients are just
that—artificial, meaning that they do not normally occur in your food, and your
body does not naturally digest them. Many studies over the years have shown
that artificial ingredients can cause health problems. So why are you still
eating them? Just because the human race is smart enough to make artificial
food doesn’t mean it’s good for you.
A friend of mine came to my office complaining of
headaches. She was given a chiropractic adjustment, she got a massage, and she
still had headaches. Because headaches are often related to diet, we talked
about what she ate. It turned out that she regularly had chicken lo mein at her
favorite restaurant, which used MSG. I asked her to order it without the MSG
next time. “But MSG makes the food taste better, doesn’t it?” “Well,” I
replied. “It’s a flavor enhancer. But which would you prefer: a headache every
day, or food that tastes the way it is suppose to taste?”. She eliminated MSG
from her
diet. The headaches went away.
It amazes me how many foods still contain MSG, when we’ve known for years
that it can cause health problems. Read the labels of the food you buy. Don’t
think that, just because you weren’t violently ill the last time you ate MSG,
that it doesn’t affect you. It just means the effect is subclinical, which
means “not bad enough to notice.” But the effects can build up over time until
they manifest themselves as a serious health problem.
Studies have shown that
there is a connection between food colorings and Attention Deficit Disorder
(ADD, or hyperactivity). That statement alone should be enough to make you
change your eating habits. Look at all the prepared foods on the market that
contain colorings, many of them specifically marketed to kids. One company even
dyes red tomato ketchup green or purple so our kids can be entertained by their
food. Such things make me wonder about the sanity of the human race.
Could this
be why so many kids today are taking prescription drugs such as Ritalin? We
fill our children full of chemicals in their food. The chemicals speed them up.
Then we give them prescription drugs to calm them down. If you are a parent, I
know that you want to protect your kids from things that can harm them. You
monitor their friends, what they watch on TV, what they do online. You also
need to watch what they eat. The
examples I’ve given are meant to alert you to the dangers of artificial,
chemically enhanced food.
I can’t
tell you how many people I’ve seen with health problems that decreased or
cleared up entirely after they quit using artificial sweeteners. Artificial
sugar has no calories because the body can’t digest it. You ingest it and it
just sits there in your body, building up year after year. That is not healthy.
Next time you visit your local supermarket, take a look at the endless shelves
of diet sodas—one of the most terrible foods you can put in your body. Terrible
because it’s a fluid of artificial color, artificial flavor and artificial
sweeteners, three of the things that you should avoid if you want to remain
healthy. Look at all the other products that contain artificial sugar. Are you
going to eat it again? I hope not. The next time you reach for an artificial
sweetener, think of it as eating Styrofoam. Just say no.
I had a biochemistry instructor whose rule of thumb
was “If it ain’t natural, don’t eat it.” Don’t put unnatural substances in your
mouth. You learned that when you were an infant, crawling on the floor and
shoving in your mouth anything you could grab. Your parents followed you
around, snatching things out of your mouth and saying “No! Not good! Don’t eat
that!” If you have kids, I’m sure you remember doing the same for them. The
same thing is true for chemicals in your food. They’re unnatural substances
that aren’t good for you, so don’t eat them.
I admit that this can be a challenge. However, there are ways to avoid
most or all chemicals in food products. First, learn to read the labels. Don’t
purchase products that have chemicals in them. You don’t have to be a
scientist—just don’t buy products if you read the label and can’t identify what
the ingredients are.
It used to
be that if you tried to eliminate all chemicals from your diet, your diet
became very limited. Nowadays there are many all-natural alternatives to
your favorite chemically laced foods.
I was thrilled when, some years ago, a natural-foods company came out
with an all-natural substitute for my favorite crunchy snack food. With no
artificial color and no MSG, I was in heaven. You may have to shop at a
health-food store to find a wide variety of products without chemicals.
Luckily, the health-food industry is flourishing; each year we have more
choices, more widely available, to more communities.
I don’t
think sugary sodas are good for you, but I’d much rather see a person drink a
soda with real sugar and more calories than one with a sugar substitute. If
you’re worried about the calories, drink less soda.
Choose foods that are as close as possible to their
original natural state. ( that means with the least amount of ingredients on
the label) Your taste buds will adapt over time, and that food will taste just
as good as you thought it did when it contained MSG. Put your health first.
Work on a more pure diet. Eliminate the Big Three: MSG, artificial colorings,
and artificial sugars. Congratulate yourself for taking steps to improve your
health. Every chemically enhanced food you say no to is a small victory, and small
victories add up to big gains. Now start to eliminate some other chemicals,
such as artificial flavorings and dough conditioners.
Remember, no one is perfect. Eliminate as much as you can as often as you can.
Think of it this way: Eating a few pounds of those chemicals over the course of
your life is less destructive than eating tons of them. Every time you choose
an all-natural alternative, you add to your chances of living a longer,
healthier life.
Further
Reading
A
Consumer’s Guide to Food Additives, by Ruth Winter, MS
The Ritalin
is Not the Answer Action Guide, by David B. Stein, Ph.D.
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