Clean eating is a difficult task these days. It seems like additives are harder to avoid than ever.
They’re in basically everything, especially anything marked with “sugar-free” or “diet” in some way.
But if you can’t avoid them entirely, you can at least know what you’re dealing with, and decide for yourself which ones you want to avoid.
Most people know about artificial sweeteners, but some others may not be as commonly known.
Here are some of the most common ones that show up in more than just processed sugar products.
- Monosodium Glutamate (MSG). MSG is most commonly found in Chinese food, seasonings, canned soup, anything savory that needs a little extra sodium kick. It’s high in sodium for that very reason, and it’s a bad migraine trigger for those who are prone to them.
- Sodium nitrate. This is a preservative that’s found in processed meats, like lunch meat, smoked fish, and hot dogs. The jury is still out on this, but it’s said that it may turn into carcinogenic compounds in the body.
- BHA and BHT. These preservatives are found in fatty things that need preserving, such as potato chips, cereal, lard, shortening, and Jell-O. It’s petroleum based, and petroleum-based products are likely human carcinogens.
- Caramel color. This is a food coloring found famously in sodas, but it’s also in beer, brown bread, cookies, donuts, and ice cream. Some of it contains ammonia, which produces carcinogenic compound 4-methylimidazole.
- Trans fats. These are lab-produced fats, that appear most famously in margarine. They’re strongly linked to heart disease and diabetes, and are being phased out of most foods because they’re so dangerous.
